What is Acromegaly ?

DEFINITION
Acromegaly is excessive growth caused by excessive release of growth hormone.


CAUSE
The release of excess growth hormone is almost always caused by a benign pituitary tumor (adenoma).


SYMPTOMS
In most cases, the excessive release of growth hormone begin to occur at age 30-50 years, long after the end of the bone plate to close. Therefore the bone deformity, not lengthwise. A rough picture of facial bones, hands and feet swell. Patients need a ring, gloves, shoes and hats greater. These changes happen slowly, so it is usually for many years not recognized by the sufferer.

Body hair growing roughly in line with the skin to thicken and grow dark.
Sebaceous glands and sweat glands in the skin dilate, causing excessive sweating and body odor that stung.

Overgrowth in the jawbone (mandible) can cause prominent jaw (prognathism). Cartilage to the vocal cords can thicken so that the sound is deep and hoarse. Tongue enlarged and more wrinkled. Thickened ribs causes chest shaped like a barrel.

Often found joint pain; after a few years can be a crippling degenerative arthritis. The heart usually enlarges and its function is impaired resulting in heart failure.

Sometimes patients feel the disturbance and weakness in the legs nd arms because of the enlarged suppress neural networks. The nerves that carry signals from the eye to the brain can also be depressed, resulting in impaired vision, particularly in the outer visual field.

Pituitary tumors can also cause severe headaches. Almost all sufferers women have irregular menstrual cycles. Some female sufferers even produce milk, although not currently in a period of breastfeeding (galactorrhea) because of too much growth hormone and the hormone prolactin. A third of men become impotent patients.

Sometimes the excessive release of growth hormone occurs in childhood, before the end of long bones disc closes. Because the bones continue to grow until the end of the closed dishes, then this will cause excessive bone growth and abnormal height (pituitary gigantism). Although the bones grow faster, but it does not happen deformity. The soft tissues around the bone to swell and some nerve can be enlarged. Delayed puberty and genitals are not fully grown.


Diagnosis
Diagnosis based on symptoms and confirmed by the high levels of growth hormone or IGF-I (insulin-like growth factor I) in the blood. If the results of blood tests are in the border area, then the patient is given a number sugar to see if growth hormone levels go down. In patients with acromegaly not, growth hormone levels will drop after the administration of a number sugar. In patients with acromegaly, blood sugar levels remain high and growth hormones.

Skull x-rays can show bone thickening, enlargement of the nasal sinuses and enlargement or erosion of the sella tursika (the bony structure surrounding the pituitary). Hand x-rays showed thickening of the bone below the fingers and swelling of tissues around the bone. Many patients who have the high blood sugar levels.


TREATMENT
To stop or reduce the excessive production of growth hormone, then the tumor is removed or destroyed by surgery or radiation therapy. Radiation therapy uses high-powered radiation; therapy is not too traumatic and usually does not affect the formation of other pituitary hormones.

Okreotid injections can help block the formation of growth hormones. Other drugs that also helps is bromocriptine.