Acromegaly

1. To know what Acromegaly is you must first have an understanding of the Endocrine System because Acromegaly is an endocrine disorder. As you see from the roots of this word it has to do with GH (Growth Hormone) which is produced in the pituitary gland.

2. Acromegaly is the hyper-production of GH by the pituitary gland. There are several common causes of Acromegaly over 95% of all cases are caused by a pituitary tumor.

3. Signs of Acromegaly:

3.1. Tall Stature

3.2. Mild to moderate obesity

3.3. Headaches

3.4. Visual changes

3.5. Hypopituitarism

3.6. Soft tissue hypertrophy

3.7. Coarse facial features

3.8. Exaggerated growth of the hands and feet with thick fingers and toes

4. Symptoms of Acromegaly:

4.1. Frontal bossing

4.2. Hyperhidrosis

4.3. Osteoarthritis

4.4. Peripheral neuropathies

4.5. Cardiovascular disease

4.6. Benign tumors

4.7. Endrocrinopathies

5. Diagnosis:

5.1. MRI- to image pituitary tumors

5.2. CT- to evaluate the patients for pancreatic, adrenal, and ovarian tumors secreting GH

5.3. Radiography- to demonstrate skeletal manifestation of GH excess

6. Treatments:

6.1. There is no single treatment. Treatment revolves around reducing as well as changing the excess GH

6.1.1. One way maybe transphenodial surgery. This is where the surgeon goes through the nose to remove the tumor but most of the time the surgeon is not able to get l of the tumor and this could cause constant elevated levels of GH