Acromegaly is a disorder that happens when your body makes too much growth hormone (GH). It causes abnormal growth that usually starts in your hands and feet.
GH stimulates growth and development in children. In adults, GH affects energy levels, muscle strength, bone health, and one's sense of well-being.
Most people who get acromegaly are middle-aged. Children can have problems with too much growth hormone -- a condition called gigantism.
There are treatments for acromegaly, and every case is different. In most cases, it might be years before you notice symptoms.
Acromegaly Symptoms
Changes happen slowly, sometimes over years. Your hands and feet are usually large. You might notice a change in your ring or shoe size, especially your shoe width.
The features in your face -- your lips, jaw, nose, and tongue -- often change, becoming coarser and broader. Your teeth may begin to space out. Your brow and lower jaw may start to jut out from your face.
Other symptoms may include:
Achy joints, possibly leading to arthritis
Stiff, rough body hair
Hoarser, deeper voice
Pinched nerve problems
Skin that’s oily or thick
Skin tags
Sweating a lot with body odor
Headaches
Snoring and sleep apnea, a breathing problem that happens during sleep
Weakness and being tired
Tingling or pain in fingers (carpal tunnel syndrome)
Vision problems
Lower sex drive
Changes in menstrual cycle and breast discharge in women
Erectile dysfunction in men
Acromegaly Symptoms
Changes happen slowly, sometimes over years. Your hands and feet are usually large. You might notice a change in your ring or shoe size, especially your shoe width.
The features in your face -- your lips, jaw, nose, and tongue -- often change, becoming coarser and broader. Your teeth may begin to space out. Your brow and lower jaw may start to jut out from your face.
Achy joints, possibly leading to arthritis
Stiff, rough body hair
Hoarser, deeper voice
Pinched nerve problems
Skin that’s oily or thick
Skin tags
Sweating a lot with body odor
Headaches
Snoring and sleep apnea, a breathing problem that happens during sleep
Weakness and being tired
Tingling or pain in fingers (carpal tunnel syndrome)
Vision problems
Lower sex drive
Changes in menstrual cycle and breast discharge in women
Erectile dysfunction in men
Acromegaly Treatment
Your doctor will work with you to come up with the best treatment plan, taking into account your age, health, and how far along your condition is.
There are three ways to treat acromegaly:
Surgery
Medicine
Radiation
Surgery is often the first treatment for people with large tumors affecting important areas, especially if they’re pressing on nerves that harm your vision. The surgeon will remove the tumor from the base of the brain. To get to it, they'll make a small cut in your nose or the inside of your upper lip. In some cases, your doctor may have you take medicine before the surgery to shrink the tumor.
After the surgery, your doctor will measure your hormones and will do imaging of the area where the tumor was removed. Your symptoms may start to get better after only a few days. Your doctor may recommend taking one of these medicines after surgery to help control or cure the disease and bring hormone levels back to normal:
Somatostatin analogs (lanreotide, octreotide or pasireotide)
Growth hormone receptor antagonists (pegvisomant)
Dopamine agonists (cabergoline, bromocriptine)
Those drugs either lower the level of growth hormone in your blood or block the effects it has on your body.
Radiation helps if you have parts of a tumor left after surgery or if you need more help lowering growth hormone levels after taking medicine. It can help stop the tumor from growing and your body from making too much growth hormone. Types of radiation therapy include:
Conventional radiation therapy. You get this type of radiation therapy every weekday for 4-6 weeks. It could take 10 or more years for you to recognize this type of therapy’s effect on your body.
Proton beam therapy. This type of therapy will send a high dose of radiation directly to the tumor while avoiding the normal tissue. You’ll have several treatments, but the overall treatment time is usually less than conventional radiation therapy.
Stereotactic radiosurgery. You’ll get one very high dose of radiation targeted to your tumor cells while avoiding the healthy tissue. This type of therapy could bring your GH levels back to normal in about 5 years.
Acromegaly Diagnosis
The sooner your acromegaly is diagnosed, the better. When you see your doctor, they'll ask you questions like these:
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