Who is the world's tallest man? Everything to know about the Ghana-native diagnosed with gigantism

Northern Ghana’s Sulemana Abdul Samed, who was diagnosed with gigantism and is still growing, might surpass the height of Sultan Kösen of Turkey, the world's tallest man. The Turkish farmers stands at 8 feet 2.82 inches tall.

Initially, a clinic in Ghana claimed that the 29-year-old stood at 9 feet 6 inches. However, doctors and nurses at the clinic were not entirely certain of his measurements since they didn't have the proper tools to measure Sulemana’s height.

When they found the correct tools to measure his height, it was revealed that Sulemana is 7 feet 4 inches tall but he is still growing and might surpass Sultan.

Gigantism is a rare health condition, responsible for abnormal growth in humans. Bodily change is most notable in height, but a person’s girth also gets affected. Gigantism occurs when the pituitary gland in a child produces too many growth hormones, also known as somatotropin.

Who is Sulemana Abdul - the Ghana native who might be world's tallest man?

Sulemana Abdul, who is also known as Awuche, which means “Let’s go” in the Hausa language, is from a village in Northern Ghana. After finishing secondary school, Sulemana moved to Ghana’s capital Accra to live with his brother.

He wanted to earn a living there as a driver, but due to his health issues, he had to move back to his village.

Sulemana remembers waking up one morning and his tongue had grown so large that it caused him breathing problems.

Ghana's tallest man is taller than most of the houses in his village, and Sulemana has become a local celebrity in the village.

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Doctors at the local clinic tried various methods to measure the world's tallest man's height

According to reports, doctors and nurses at a local clinic had to resort to multiple ways of measuring Sulemana’s height. They even tried to measure it with a pole and a stick.

Sulemana told the BBC that the way his height was measured, he knew everything wasn't perfect.

Finally, the BBC came to the rescue with a 16-foot tape measure, which resolved the issue. Sulemana stood against a wall throughout the process. They measured him from the crown of his head to where his feet touched the floor.

When the result was revealed, it turned out that Sulemana was actually seven foot four inches tall. So, Sulemana is a foot shorter than Sultan Kösen, the tallest man in Turkey. Sultan holds the Guinness World Records title of the ‘tallest man alive’.

However, since Sulemana is still growing, he might actually surpass Sultan’s height and secure the title of the tallest man. Sulemana referred to Sultan and said that he was still growing and might even reach Sultan's height one day.

He added that he grows a little every three or four months, noting that if a person meets him after three or four months, they would realize that he has grown taller.

However, Sulemana is not disheartened by his condition. He said:

“That is how Allah chose it for me, I am OK. I don’t have a problem with the way God created me.”

Early diagnosis of gigantism is important so that prompt treatment can help prevent or reduce the changes that may cause a child to grow taller than normal. However, changes caused by the condition can be hard to detect. Many parents might mistake it for the normal growth a child goes through when their growth hormones spurt first.

Sulemana has Marfan Syndrome which causes him an abnormally curved spine. It’s a genetic disorder that affects the connective tissues of the body, resulting in abnormally long limbs. Doctors believe that it would require brain surgery for Sulemana to prevent his growth.