Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Methods for Acromegaly

Causes and

Symptoms and Treatment Methods

There are cases where the hands and feet gradually become larger, so rings or shoes no longer fit well, the forehead protrudes, or the jawbone becomes longer.

Due to excessive secretion of growth hormone, the hands, feet, jaw, nose, and other areas can become enlarged. If you have these symptoms, you may want to suspect acromegaly.

Today, we will look at what this disease is, along with its causes, accompanying symptoms, and methods for treating the symptoms.

Acromegaly is a chronic disease in which excessive secretion of growth hormone causes the bones at the extremities of the body to proliferate excessively, leading to enlargement of the hands, feet, jaw, and other areas.

In most cases, this disease occurs due to chronic overproduction of growth hormone, and a pituitary tumor that overproduces growth hormone is a common cause.

A variety of symptoms may accompany it. The forehead may protrude, the jaw may stick out, and the hands and feet may become larger.

As the hands and feet grow larger, shoes or rings may no longer fit, and an unusual facial appearance may develop due to misalignment of the teeth.

If symptoms appear during adolescence, before the growth plates close, height can increase to over 2 meters. In adults whose growth plates have closed, the extremities of the body become larger and thicker.

In addition, internal organs can also enlarge. If the heart becomes enlarged, heart failure can make the condition life-threatening, and complications such as high blood pressure and diabetes may also occur.

Moreover, the risk of colon cancer may increase, the prevalence of respiratory diseases rises, and this is known to increase the risk of death.

Because the symptoms of acromegaly develop slowly, it can be difficult to notice the changes. In such cases, comparing photos taken over time may be helpful.

If the hands and feet gradually become larger, the jawbone lengthens, the molars no longer fit together properly, and diabetes develops along with other suspected symptoms, it is advisable to get evaluated.

To diagnose this disease, the patient is given glucose to drink, after which blood is drawn and the growth hormone concentration is measured.

In healthy people, growth hormone secretion is suppressed when glucose is consumed, but in people with this disease, growth hormone secretion is not suppressed under the same conditions.

To treat the symptoms, surgery and medication can be used. Through surgery, the tumor can be removed and normal hormone levels restored.

As mentioned earlier, the physical symptoms caused by excessive growth hormone secretion appear gradually, so the person may not fully notice them. Even with treatment, changes that have already occurred in the bones cannot be reversed.

That is why early treatment is important. In particular, because the risk of complications is high, early treatment is especially important if suspected symptoms are present.

Today, we looked at the causes of acromegaly, the accompanying symptoms, and how to treat the symptoms. Please use this information as a reference.