Giants are an amazing sight to behold but the consequent effects on the heart amongst other body structures, may not be so desirable. Neil Fingleton was not only the tallest British born man/the tallest man in the European Union, he was a very athletic and talented giant who featured as scary "Mag the Mighty" in the intriguing HBO hit series "Game of Thrones (G.O.T.)". He was also the scary giant sword man in "47 Ronin" to mention a few. Towering "7 ft. 7 in (232.6cm)", 36 year old Neil was declared dead on the 25th of February,2017, after suffering what British media has referred to as "HEART FAILURE".
In case you were wondering,the phenomenon of "gigantism" in children and what is termed as "acromegaly" in adults refers to, excessive linear growth of a child/adult above the average for age and sex. The most common cause is said to be the presence of a supposedly harmless/benign growth/tumour in a part of the brain referred to as the pituitary gland. This results in excessive production of "growth hormone" that unfortunately causes abnormal growth of the heart muscle,as the individual grows taller/bigger. This is a reasonable layman's explanation for the relationship between gigantism/acromegaly and heart disease. The actual pathology is certainly deeper than explained here but whatever the case may be, if you notice any sort of abnormal linear growth with your wards, it's best to take them for checkup early enough, as there are treatment modalities that can salvage the situation, especially surgical resection of the pituitary tumour.
Neil Fingleton was more than a giant to his family,friends and fans. Our heart felt condolence go out to the family. The loss was untimely but we wonder if anything could have been done to prevent it.
REFERENCES:
* http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4261380/Britain-s-tallest-man-7ft-7in-dies-heart-failure.html
* MEDSCAPE|Gigantism and Acromegaly Clinical Presentation.
* NIH|WHAT IS HEART FAILURE?
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