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Acromegaly Updated 3/2011

Joseph K. Erbe, MD, Rino H. Dizon, MD
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BASICS

  • Epidemiology
  • Risk Factors
  • General Prevention
  • Etiology
  • Associated Conditions

DIAGNOSIS

  • Signs and Symptoms
  • Tests

TREATMENT

  • Medication (Drugs)
  • Additional Treatment
  • Surgery

Ongoing Care

  • Follow-Up Recommendations
  • Patient Education
  • Prognosis
  • Complications
The following is an excerpt....
BASICS

Excess secretion of growth hormone results in the clinical syndrome known as acromegaly. This is an endocrine condition that develops insidiously over decades.

Epidemiology

Patients with the condition usually present between the ages of 40 and 45. However, diagnosis is usually delayed 7–10 years after the onset of symptoms (1). Children and adolescents who have excess growth hormone before the epiphyseal growth plates are fused can develop pituitary gigantism.

Incidence

3 cases per 1 million persons per year (1)

Prevalence

60 per million (1)

Risk Factors

The most common cause is a growth hormone-secreting adenoma of the anterior pituitary or somatotroph. More than 90% of acromegaly patients have such a lesion.

Genetics
  • The genetics of this disorder ...

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See Also
Images >
12
Acromegaly is characterized by enlargement of the facial features (nose, ears) and the hands and feet.Credit: From Weber J RN, EdD and Kelley J RN, PhD. Health Assessment in Nursing, 2nd edition. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2003.
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