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Home :: Family Health :: Acromegaly
Acromegaly - Acromegaly symptom, treatment, causes
Acromegaly is the excessive growth in adulthood of the soft tissues and bones of the head (especially the jaw), hands and feet, and some internal organs. This is due to overproduction of growth hormone by a benign tumour of the pituitary gland axcessive growth hormone in children results in a different condition, GIGANTISM.
Acromegaly is caused by prolonged overproduction of GH by the pituitary gland. Acromegaly most commonly affects middle-aged adults and can result in serious illness and premature death. The prevalence of acromegaly is approximately 4,676 cases per million population, and the incidence is 116.9 new cases per million per year. In children who are still growing, too much growth hormone can cause a condition called gigantism. Acromegaly affects mostly middle-aged adults. Untreated, the disease can lead to severe illness and death. Growth hormone promotes growth of bone, cartilage, muscle, organs, and other tissues.These children have exaggerated bone growth and an abnormal increase in height. Fusion of the growth plates of the long bones occurs after puberty so that development of excessive GH production in adults does not result in increased height.
This abnormal growth can cause serious disease and even premature death. The excessive growth occurs first in the hands and feet, as soft tissue begins to swell. Overproduction of growth hormone is almost always caused by a noncancerous (benign) pituitary tumor (adenoma).Certain rare tumors of the pancreas and lungs also can produce hormones that stimulate the pituitary to produce excessive amounts of growth hormone, with similar consequences. Soft tissue swelling of the hands and feet is often an early feature, with patients noticing a change in ring or shoe size. Acromegaly is often associated with the abnormal growth in stature known as pituitary gigantism.
Symptom of Acromegaly
Among the symptoms of Acromegaly are gradual changes in facial appearence, tightening of shoes and gloves, dental bite disturbances, and sometimes headache and visual problems. Acromegaly is usually obvious from the patients appearence, but may be confermed by finding increased growth hormone in the blood and seeing the tumour on a skull X-ray or CAT scan.
Treatment of Acromegaly
The Acromegaly is treated by surgical removal of the tumour or pituitary gland, destroying the tumour by radiotherapy, or prescribing drugs that suppress growth hormone production. After treatment of Acromegaly, hormone supplements must sometimes be taken long-term to replace the hormones normally produced by the pituitary gland.
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