Acromegaly

Alternative Names

Acromegaly

What is Acromegaly

Acromegaly is a rare hormonal disorder that is triggered by excessive growth hormone almost always as a result of a noncancerous tumor. This can lead to swelling, tissue growth and bone enlargement, especially in face, hands and feet. Acromegaly usually occurs in middle age. This disease is not always diagnosed quickly.

Signs and symptoms

The most common symptoms of this disease are:

• enlarged hands and feet
• larger and broader facial features
• protrusion of the lower jaw so the lower teeth extend beyond the upper teeth (underbite)
• thickened, oily skin
• excessive sweating and body odor
• small skin outgrowths (skin tags)
• fatigue and muscle weakness
• a deepened, husky voice due to enlarged vocal cords and sinuses
• severe snoring and frequent brief interruptions in nighttime breathing due to tissue swelling that blocks your upper airway
• impaired vision
• headaches
• enlarged tongue
• back pain
• pain and limited mobility in joints
• menstrual cycle irregularities in women
• reduced sex drive and, in men, trouble achieving or maintaining an erection (erectile dysfunction)
• enlarged liver, heart, kidneys, spleen and other organs
• increased chest size (barrel chest)

Possible complications

The most common complications of acromegaly include:

• high blood pressure (hypertension)
• heart disease, particularly enlargement of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy)
• arthritis
• diabetes
• precancerous growths (polyps) in your colon
• sleep apnea, a condition in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep
• carpal tunnel syndrome — tingling or pain in your fingers caused by excess wrist tissue pressing on nerves
• reduced production of other pituitary hormones (hypopituitarism)
• benign tumors in the uterus (uterine fibroids)
• spinal cord compression
• vision loss

What causes

Acromegaly is caused by prolonged excessive amount of GH by the pituitary gland. The pituitary produces several important hormones managing such functions of body as growth and development, reproduction and metabolism.

Prevention

There is no way to prevent this disease.

Treatment

The treatment plan should be determined by your doctor. Nowadays such methods as surgical removal of the tumor, medical therapy and radiation therapy of the pituitary are available.

The main objectives of the treatment include:

• reducing excess hormone production to normal levels
• relieving the pressure that the growing pituitary tumor may be exerting on the surrounding brain areas
• preserving normal pituitary function or treat hormone deficiencies
• improving the symptoms of acromegaly