I heard of the case of Adam Rainer, where his apparent condition called “acromegaly” caused him to grow uncontrollably beyond adolescence. He was both a dwarf at 19 and a giant at 33. How is this possible if growth plates predetermine height?

Question

I’ve been wondering this for a pretty long time

In: Biology

Answer 1

Growth plates can remain active longer than normal or shorter than normal.

It’s highly variable. My daughter is 12 and her growth plates are fusing already because she has CAH (Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia). She’s taller than average now, but will end up shorter than average in the end. My uncle grew 2 inches after he hit about 20. My best friend in high school gained 2 inches when he was about 25. No growth from 17 until he hit 25.

I hit 6 feet at 17 years old and stopped dead. I’ve actually shrunk a bit since then. I always hoped that I had kept active growth plates longer but they fused up good at 17. Then again, if they were unfused, that would also lead to a chance of cardiac-hypertrophy so I suppose it’s better that it worked fine for me.

My uncle that grew after he was 20 ended up with cardiac-hypertrophy and had a heart attack a few years ago. His heart is weakened so he has trouble with that. He is in is 70’s so it wasn’t early onset, but it’s a thing.

Bottom line, everyone is different. My youngest daughter’s bone age is about 16 even though she’s 12 (CAH). My older daughter has room to grow still. She goes about 5’6″ and she’s only 13. She might hit 6′ if she kicks again. I was 5’4″ at 13 so there’s room.