Growth hormone (somatotropin) drives bone, muscle, and tissue growth. Too little stunts growth. Too much makes things grow abnormally. And whether the growth plates are still open decides which disorder you get. Click each one.
The result
Compare a typical adult (in grey) with each condition.
Pick a disorder.
Pick a disorderdeficiency vs excess
What it is
The key question: are the growth plates open? Too much GH before the plates close → the whole skeleton grows → gigantism (very tall). Too much GH after they close → bone can only thicken, not lengthen → acromegaly (big hands, feet, jaw, and brow). Both usually come from a GH-secreting pituitary adenoma.