| Acromegaly | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Lower jaw showing the classic spacing of teeth due to acromegaly. | |
| Pronunciation | |
| Specialty | Endocrinology |
| Symptoms | Enlargement of the hands, feet, forehead, jaw, and nose, thicker skin, deepening of the voice[3] |
| Complications | Type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure,[3] high cholesterol, heart problems, particularly enlargement of the heart (cardiomegaly), osteoarthritis, spinal cord compression or fractures, increased risk of cancerous tumors, precancerous growths (polyps) on the lining of the colon.[4] |
| Usual onset | Middle age[3] |
| Causes | Excess growth hormone (hypersomatotropism)[3] |
| Diagnostic method | Blood tests, medical imaging[3] |
| Differential diagnosis | Pachydermoperiostosis[5] |
| Treatment | Surgery, medications, radiation therapy[3] |
| Medication | Somatostatin analogue, GH receptor antagonist[3] |
| Prognosis | Usually normal (with treatment), 10 year shorter life expectancy (no treatment)[6] |
| Frequency | 3 per 50,000 people[3] |
Acromegaly is a disorder that results in excess growth of certain parts of the human body. It is caused by excess growth hormone (GH) after the growth plates have closed. The initial symptom is typically enlargement of the hands and feet.[3] There may also be an enlargement of the forehead, jaw, and nose. Other symptoms may include joint pain, thicker skin, deepening of the voice, headaches, and problems with vision.[3] Complications of the disease may include type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure.[3]
- ^ "acromegaly". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020.
- ^ "acromegaly". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cite error: The named reference
NIH2012was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Acromegaly". mayoclinic.org.
- ^ Guglielmi G, Van Kuijk C (2001). Fundamentals of Hand and Wrist Imaging. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 205. ISBN 9783540678540. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Ho2011was invoked but never defined (see the help page).