What made Robert Wadlow, the tallest person in the world at 2.72 meters, grow so tall?
July 21, 2024
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Quite large hands and feet, a height that makes it difficult to get through doors, and the right amount of excess weight that comes with height. Actually for
Quite large hands and feet, a height that makes it difficult to get through doors, and the right amount of excess weight that comes with height. Actually for Robert It seems like life hasn’t been so easy, right?
Agree What is the reason that Robert has grown so tall?
Robert Wadlow, born in 1918, was a normal baby weighing 8.4 pounds (3.8 kilograms) when he was born the first of five children.
Like most babies, Wadlow began to grow in the first year of his life, but the growth was extraordinary. on his first birthday His height was 1.07 meters and his weight was 20.4 kilograms. His rapid development made him the tallest child in the world at the age of 13, measuring 2.24 metres (7 ft 11 in).
He continued to grow at the same rate and surpassed his father’s height at the age of 8. He broke the world record when he reached 2.59 meters at the age of 19. When he died at the age of 22, doctors measured him 18 days before his death and measured his height at 2.72 meters. His weight was 220 kilograms.
Robert Wadlow struggled with health problems throughout his life due to his extreme height and weight.
He broke two of his foot bones when he was 14. The solution was to wear an ankle splint to support Robert’s large frame. It was also designed to support the arches of the foot when the unfortunate teenager was 17. He was in hospital for 8 weeks due to an infection caused by the sole of a shoe.
As a result of the checks carried out at that time, Wadlow’s feet were found It was clear that there were no sensations such as pain, touch and temperature. Robert’s cause of death was an infected blister caused by an iron brace attached to his right ankle that irritated his skin.
Robert was unaware of this wound due to his lack of sensation. Despite emergency surgery and a blood transfusion, his condition gradually deteriorated. On the night of July 14, 1940, he met his family for the last time and then died.
So what made Robert Wadlow so great?
Gigantism or acromegaly, which stimulates the growth of the skeleton and all tissues in the body It is a rare disease caused by overproduction of growth hormone.R. At that time, surgery was the only option to treat this.
However, he and his family did not accept it because they considered it too risky. In addition, excessive amounts of growth hormone If exposed before the growth plates close, gigantism would develop. People with gigantism often had other symptoms in addition to excessive height.
Between these; large feet and hands, gaps in the teeth, excessive sweating, delayed puberty and sleep problems would take place. In fact, the same disease struck Sultan Köseni, the tallest person alive today.
Ashley Johnson is a science writer for “Div Bracket”. With a background in the natural sciences and a passion for exploring the mysteries of the universe, she provides in-depth coverage of the latest scientific developments.