What is Acromegaly?

Growth is what every human desire.

However, when it begins to get out of hand, it becomes less of a desire and more of a concern. Acromegaly is a health disorder that happens when excess growth hormones are produced in the body. In other words, it is simply a hormonal disorder that causes abnormal growth of the body.

It occurs when the pituitary gland produces more growth hormones than normal, thus causing abnormal growth and an expansion in the size of the tissues and bones in the body. Medical experts believe that this condition occurs mostly in adults or in people who are in their middle ages. Acromegaly causes the bone to increase in size.

Although for adults, not all bones in the body increase in size, the most affected bones are the limb bones and the face. Every other part of the body remains the same. The same can be said of children, but with slight differences here and there. In children, it is called gigantism and occurs when a child increases abnormally in height.

This condition in adults is called acromegaly, while in children, it is called gigantism.

Acromegaly is a rare condition (with 1 in 200,000 people suffering from it), and thus, you may not easily find people suffering from it. However, when it occurs, it can be life-threatening. Since it is uncommon, it is usually not easy to recognize its symptoms.

Leaving it untreated would spell more problems, as it could expose you to more severe health conditions. However, identifying the symptoms on time and treating them will help prevent complications and also help improve your symptoms.

Some of the most effective modes of treating acromegaly include medications, radiation therapy, and surgery. Although it takes years for acromegaly symptoms to develop, however, untreated acromegaly can reduce life expectancy rapidly by up to 10 years.

Since it is an uncommon condition, it may be difficult to understand what exactly it means despite the explanations. Thus, to further understand what acromegaly is, here are facts about the condition;

• It is rather a rare condition that affects 1 in 200,000 people or 6 in 1 million people.
• A tumor in the pituitary gland causes acromegaly. This tumor is called a pituitary adenoma.
• It is characterized by the excessive production of growth hormones by the pituitary gland.
• It is a condition that causes abnormal physical features like swollen limbs and the face.
• It can lead to severe complications and trigger chronic health conditions
• It affects the bones, muscles, and tissues the most, causing them to grow beyond normal
• In children, it is dubbed gigantism and is characterized by an abnormal height
• In adults, it is called acromegaly and is characterized by the abnormal growth of some selected bones in the body, while other bones maintain their original size
• The most affected bones are the limb bones.
• The most cogent ways of treating it are by surgery coupled with medications and sometimes radiotherapy, all of which are targeted at reducing the abnormal growth of the body.
• It can affect both women and men alike.
• Life expectancy drops rapidly in people with this condition.

Having highlighted the important facts and features of acromegaly, the question now is, what could be the cause of this condition, and how can its symptoms be recognized?

Causes of Acromegaly

Acromegaly is caused by a tumor in the pituitary gland that causes it to overproduce growth hormones for a long time. Where is the pituitary gland located? It is located in the brain but at the bottom of the brain and directly behind your nose bridge. It is responsible for producing the hormone that causes growth and other physical features in the body.

It happens that when the pituitary gland produces the growth hormone and releases it into the bloodstream, the liver is pushed into producing a hormone known as an insulin-like growth factor, which is mostly responsible for the growth of your bones and tissues. Thus, if the pituitary gland in your brain secretes excess growth hormones, the liver automatically secretes much more insulin-like growth factors, thereby causing acromegaly. When symptoms are not recognized early enough, complications may set in.

Pituitary Adenoma

This is a kind of tumor that grows in the pituitary gland. It is the most common culprit of acromegaly. Although, this tumor, according to research, is usually not a cancerous kind. Also, genetics is not a risk factor for pituitary adenoma.

The tumors can grow big but do not spread. Complications develop when they become so big or when they grow in a delicate part of the base of the brain. When the tumor grows, pressure is placed on many parts of the brain, thereby causing severe headaches and, in most cases, vision loss.

When pituitary adenoma grows in a delicate part of the brain, it can affect the production of other hormones. For example, women may notice severe hormonal imbalances especially drastic changes to their menstrual cycle, and men may experience impotence.

Non-pituitary Hormones

Non-pituitary hormones are less complicated causes of acromegaly. In this case, acromegaly is not caused by a pituitary adenoma. Rather, it is caused by other tumors in other parts of the body. Some of these tumors trigger the excessive production of growth hormones by the pituitary gland. These tumors have to be taken out completely for the abnormal growth to stop.

Symptoms of Acromegaly

Since acromegaly is a rare health condition, how then can its symptoms be recognized? Although, studies have shown that the symptoms of acromegaly can be difficult to recognize since it takes a long time to develop. For example, you may notice that you have to change your wardrobe due to an abnormal increase in size or change a ring because it no longer fits. These are very tiny signs of acromegaly. Some of the most expected symptoms of acromegaly include;

• Abnormal spaces between teeth
• Unexplainable weight gain
• Increased tongue size
• Weak muscles
• Difficulty sleeping
• Enlarged limbs
• A coarse and deep voice
• Abnormal hair growth on the body, especially in women
• Excessive sweating
• Enlarged brows
• Aching joints
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Non-cancerous skin tags
• Body odor

Complications of Acromegaly

Leaving acromegaly untreated can expose you to the following health conditions;

• Colon cancer
• Type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Goiter
• High cholesterol levels
• Compressed spinal cord
• Permanent vision change or loss
• Sleep apnea
• Osteoarthritis

Prevention for Acromegaly

Can acromegaly be prevented? No, it cannot. Early detection and treatment can only help manage the condition. Preventing it is almost impossible. All you need to do is, when you notice any of the above-mentioned symptoms, report to the hospital immediately, as you might be the 1 in 200,000 people with acromegaly. When symptoms are reported early, they can be managed.

Treatment

As stated above, there are 3 common ways through which acromegaly can be treated. The following are effective  treatment methods for acromegaly;

Surgery

 If the tumor is not in a very delicate place, it can be taken out surgically, even without the need for further medications. However, when the tumor is in a delicate place, only a part of it is removed, and medications are administered to help improve and manage symptoms and reduce the rate at which growth hormones are produced. Even after the surgery, it is best to always visit your doctor for further examinations.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is a procedure that is adopted when medications seem to fail. It targets the tumors and shrinks them through radiation beams. Although, this procedure is effective. However, it is the slowest of all the treatment methods.

This is because breaks have to be taken in between the process, as excess radiation beams in the body can be dangerous for the patient. Thus, it may take years for improvements to occur through radiation therapy.

Medications

When symptoms of acromegaly are detected early enough, strong medications can be administered. These medications target the tumors and shrink them until they become easy to be taken out surgically. Also, these medications can help improve symptoms by managing the growth hormone levels.

Depending on the severity of the acromegaly, medications can be taken over a long period, and in most cases, they can be taken for a short while before significant improvements begin to surface.

Conclusion

Acromegaly is a severe growth condition. As much as everyone loves physical growth, some kinds of growth should give you concern. These concerns should not be ignored. Rather, they should be discussed with medical experts.