Affected individuals may also have an abnormally large tongue and unusually thick, full lips. Facial bones gradually become prominent, the lower jaw protrudes (prognathism) and an underbite may cause a wide separation and misalignment between the teeth (malocclusion). Acromegaly can potentially cause a wide variety of symptoms and physical findings.įacial features gradually become coarse because of the overgrowth of soft tissues and cartilage. The specific symptoms that develop may vary greatly from one person to another. The symptoms of acromegaly generally occur slowly and become more noticeable as affected individuals age. When excessive secretion of growth hormone occurs before puberty, the disorder is known as gigantism, not acromegaly. If untreated, acromegaly can potentially cause serious illness and life-threatening complications. Acromegaly may also cause thickening of the soft tissues of the body, including the heart, lips and tongue. Enlargement of the bones in the jaws and in the front of the skull are typically the most apparent bony changes. Symptoms of acromegaly include abnormal enlargement in bones of the hands, arms, feet, legs and head. In most patients, acromegaly is caused by the growth of a benign tumor (adenoma), arising from the pituitary gland. These hormones regulate many different bodily functions. The pituitary gland is a small gland located near the base of the skull that stores several hormones and releases them into the bloodstream as needed by the body. ![]() It occurs when the pituitary gland produces too much growth hormone (GH). Stay Informed With NORD’s Email NewsletterĪcromegaly is a rare, slowly progressive, acquired disorder that affects adults.Find a Rare Disease Patient Organization.Rare Disease Cures Accelerator (RDCA-DAP).Find Clinical Trials & Research Studies.Launching Registries & Natural History Studies.A Podcast For The Rare Disease Community.Among patients who underwent colonoscopy, the prevalence of colon polyps was higher for ACRO patients, suggesting the need for new strategies to ensure adherence to colonoscopy guidelines.Īcromegaly Colonoscopy Polyposis Real life practice. In real-life practice, adherence to ACRO colonoscopy clinical guidelines was lower than expected. No cancerous polyps were detected in our analysis. The general risk of polyps and adenomatous polyps in ACRO patients was higher compared to the control population of Veneto Region, Italy (odds ratio 1.33 and 1.16, respectively). Polyps were detected in 48% of untreated patients and in 26% of patients under treatment for acromegaly (p = 0.04). The presence of polyps was significantly associated with mean levels of growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), fasting glucose and insulin levels (p < 0.05). Among the 146 ACRO patients, 68% were subjected to at least one colonoscopy and in 32% of the cases a polyp was detected during the procedure. Colonoscopy procedures were performed according to guidelines in 25% of ACRO patients at diagnosis, 51% at follow-up and 11% globally (both at diagnosis and follow-up). The total number of colonoscopies performed in ACRO patients increased from 6 in the period 1990-1994 to 57 in the period 2010-2014. We evaluated colonoscopy data, focusing on the correlation between colonoscopy findings and hormonal/metabolic values. We conducted a retrospective observational non-interventional and cross-sectional analysis on 146 patients with acromegaly (ACRO) referred to our clinic. The aim of this study is to investigate guideline application and colonoscopy findings in real-life practice in acromegaly.
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