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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Journal of Diabetes and Endocrine Practice 2022; 05(03): 122-125
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1760393
History of Medicine

The Giant of Tripoli: The Case of Late Recognition and Management of an Extreme Acromegalic Gigantism in Resource-Poor Settings

Salem A. Beshyah 
1   Department of Endocrinology, Yas Clinic Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
2   Department of Medicine, Dubai Medical College for Girls, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
3   Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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Abstract

Background There are a few studies from the Middle East and North Africa. Several notable cases of acromegaly and giantism in the west found their way to public life and media.

Case History One of the cases is discussed in this article. The case lived between 1943 and 1991. He was one of few individuals in medical history to reach or surpass 8 feet in height. In the 1960s, he reportedly underwent repeated (perhaps 4) pituitary surgery at 17 in Rome, Italy, to halt his growth. A few photos and one short video clip in Italian demonstrate his physical features. He was one of the tallest basketball players ever at 245 cm, though when he featured as a basketball player, he was closer to 239 cm and played for Libya. He was a medical anomaly and the eighteenth tallest person in the history of the world. He was also credited with being the tallest actor in history by appearing in a single Italian fantasy drama movie in 1969. He died in 1991 due to heart disease.

Conclusion The case presented in this vignette is depicted in the public domain and is imprinted in the folk memory of the residents of Tripoli, Libya. However, due to its uniqueness, it deserves a place in the regional medical literature.

Keywords

history of medicine - acromegaly - gigantism - Tripoli - Libya - Middle East - North Africa

Credit

The figures are widely disseminated in open access public domain websites.


Author's Contributions

Single author responsible for all aspects of the article.


Compliance with Ethical Principles

Ethical approval is not required. All photographic materials are available in the public domain. The case is reported anonymously.




Publication History

Article published online:
23 January 2023

© 2023. Gulf Association of Endocrinology and Diabetes (GAED). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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