Lisa Nachtigall, MD, Clinical Director, Neuroendocrine and Pituitary Clinical Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School discusses acromegaly and when physicians should suspect this rare disease.
Acromegaly is a rare disorder caused by a noncancerous tumor on the pituitary gland, which is located just below the brain. The pituitary gland controls many body functions, including growth, metabolism and reproductive function.
In acromegaly, a tumor that grows on the pituitary gland produces too much GH, which can prompt the liver to overproduce IGF-1. Too much GH or IGF-1 in the bloodstream signals the body to grow, and can result in a wide range of signs and symptoms. People living with acromegaly can experience the following signs and symptoms:
- Enlargement of the hands, feet, tongue and internal organs
- More prominent jaw and forehead
- Spreading out of the teeth
- Increased sweating
- Thickening of the facial features, especially the nose
- Joint pain
- Sleep apnea
- Fatigue
- Pain and tingling in the hands and wrists
- Large numbers of skin tags
- Increased incidence of colon polyps
Other serious health conditions associated with the progression of acromegaly include type 2 diabetes, hypertension, respiratory disorders, and cardiac and cerebrovascular disease.
For more information on acromegaly, visit our disease page here.