Acromegaly is a hypertrophic enlargement of individual parts of the body, which has a pathological character. The disease is caused by excessive production of growth hormone, as a result of a tumor lesion of the anterior pituitary gland. The disease can occur in an adult, manifested by visible enlargement of facial features, hands, feet, severe headaches, dysfunction of human reproductive function.
Excess of the growth hormone level provokes early mortality from cardiovascular, pulmonary and oncological diseases.
Acromegaly develops only after the cessation of growth, its symptoms appear gradually, which is especially noticeable on the change in the appearance of the patient. As a rule, this disease is diagnosed no earlier than seven years after its onset. The disease is characteristic of both men and women. This is a fairly rare endocrine pathology.
Causes of acromegaly
The presence of pituitary adenoma is the main cause of the development of acromegaly. The following conditions can provoke the formation of an adenoma::
chronic sinusitis;
traumatic brain injuries;
hypotolamus tumor.
The disease can be inherited.
Symptoms of acromegaly
With an excess of growth hormone, significant changes occur in the appearance of the patient, which are manifested by an increase in the ears, nose, lips, brow arches, zygomatic bones, lower jaw and general coarsening of facial features.
An increase in the lower jaw provokes a divergence of the interdental spaces. At the same time, there is an increase in the tongue, which provokes hypertrophy of the larynx and vocal cords, leading to a change in the voice, which becomes hoarse and low.
With this disease, changes in appearance occur quite slowly, so, as a rule, the patient does not notice them. There is a thickening of the fingers, an increase in the size of the skull, which forces a person to pick up clothes and hats, much larger than previously required.
Acromegaly causes skeletal deformity, which is expressed by an increase in the chest and expansion of intercostal spaces. Since hypertrophy of cartilage and connective tissue is inevitable in this disease, joint mobility is inevitably limited.
The characteristic symptoms of the disease are excessive sebum secretion and sweating, since the activity of the sebaceous and sweat glands increases significantly. The skin of patients gradually thickens, gathering into rough folds.
Acromegaly provokes an increase in the size of muscles and internal organs, and at the same time there is a gradual dystrophy of muscle fibers.
Patients often complain of a progressive decrease in working capacity, fatigue, weakness. There is a violation of sexual function. In women, this is a violation of the menstrual cycle, which leads to infertility, in men there is a significant decrease in sexual potency.
There is a gradual development of diabetes insipidus, increased intracranial pressure, decreased sense of smell and hearing, numbness of the extremities. Patients with acromegaly have a particularly high risk of thyroid, gastrointestinal and genital tumors.
Diagnosis of acromegaly
The late stage of the disease can be suspected with an increase in body parts. In this case, consultation with an endocrinologist is required, who prescribes a number of laboratory and instrumental studies. In addition, an ophthalmologist’s consultation is indicated. The patient must undergo a full examination of the general condition of the body.
Treatment of acromegaly
The main direction of treatment of the disease is to achieve stable remission by eliminating excess production of growth hormone. Surgical and medical techniques are used for this.
