Acromegaly

Acromegaly
Acromegaly
	Lower jaw showing the classic spacing of teeth due to acromegaly.
Pronunciation	/ˌækrəˈmɛɡəli, -roʊ-/ ;
Specialty	Endocrinology
Symptoms	Enlargement of the hands, feet, forehead, jaw, and nose, thicker skin, deepening of the voice
Complications	Type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart problems, particularly enlargement of the heart (cardiomyopathy), osteoarthritis, spinal cord compression or fractures, increased risk of cancerous tumors, precancerous growths (polyps) on the lining of the colon.
Usual onset	Middle age
Causes	Excess growth hormone (hypersomatotropism)
Diagnostic method	Blood tests, medical imaging
Differential diagnosis	Pachydermoperiostosis
Treatment	Surgery, medications, radiation therapy
Medication	Somatostatin analogue, GH receptor antagonist
Prognosis	Usually normal (with treatment), 10 year shorter life expectancy (no treatment)
Frequency	3 per 50,000 people

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 NIH2012 was 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 Ho2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[1] "acromegaly". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020.

[2] "acromegaly". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 20 January 2021.

[NIH2012-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Cite error: The named reference NIH2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[4] "Acromegaly". mayoclinic.org.

[5] 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.

[Ho2011-6] Cite error: The named reference Ho2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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Acromegaly

Lower jaw showing the classic spacing of teeth due to acromegaly.
Pronunciation	/ˌækrəˈmɛɡəli, -roʊ-/^[1]^[2]
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 (cardiomyopathy), 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]