overview
Person with acromegaly
Illustration shows a person with acromegaly Open the popup dialog
Acromegaly is a hormonal disorder that occurs when your pituitary gland makes too much growth hormone in adulthood.
When you have too much growth hormone, your bones get bigger. In childhood, this leads to an increase in height and is known as gigantism. However, no change in size occurs in adulthood. Instead, the increase in bone size is limited to the bones in your hands, feet, and face and is known as acromegaly. Acromegaly Treatment in Hyderabad
Because acromegaly is rare and physical changes occur slowly over many years, the condition can sometimes take a long time to be recognized. Untreated high levels of growth hormone can affect other parts of your body in addition to your bones. This can lead to serious and even fatal health problems. However, treatment can lower the risk of complications and dramatically improve your symptoms, including expanding your functions.
symptoms
- Enlargement of the hands and feet
- Enlarged facial features including facial bones, lips, nose, and tongue
- Coarse, oily, and thickened skin
- Excessive sweating and body odor
- Small growth of skin tissue (skin tags)
- Tiredness and weakness of your joints or muscles
- Pain and limited mobility of the joints
- A deep, hoarse voice due to enlarged vocal cords and sinuses
- Heavy snoring due to an obstruction of the upper airway
- Vision problems
- Headache, which can be persistent or severe
- Menstrual cycle irregularities in women
- Erectile dysfunction in men
- Loss of interest in sex
The reasons
- Pituitary gland and hypothalamus
- Pituitary and Hypothalamus Open popup dialog
- Acromegaly occurs when the pituitary gland makes too much growth hormone (GH) over a long period of time.
The pituitary gland is a small gland at the base of your brain, behind the bridge of your nose. It produces GH and a number of other hormones. GH plays an important role in controlling your physical growth.
When the pituitary gland releases GH into your bloodstream, your liver is stimulated to produce a hormone called insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) – sometimes called insulin-like growth factor 1. Insulin-I or IGF-I. IGF-1 causes your bones and other tissues to grow. Too much GH leads to too much IGF-1, which can cause signs of acromegaly, symptoms, and complications. Acromegaly Treatment in Hyderabad