Acıbadem Maslak Hospital Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases Specialist Prof. Dr. Sema Yarman gave information about acromegaly.
Dr. Sema Yarman said the following about acromegaly: “Acromegaly is a disease that manifests itself with growth in the hands and feet and coarsening of the facial features due to the presence of excessive amounts of growth hormone in the body. It is seen in 100 to 3 out of every 14 thousand people in the world, but its incidence in our country is not known yet.
Acromegaly has many symptoms. One of the earliest symptoms is "growth in hands and feet due to soft tissue increase". Other symptoms are facial features such as prominent eyebrow arches, protruding lower jaw, opening between teeth, fullness of lips, enlargement of nose and tongue, numbness and weakness in hands, thickening of the skin and increase in lubrication, excessive sweating, milk coming from the chest and joint. classified as pain. If the tumor grows and presses on the surrounding tissues, headache; Although it puts pressure on the optic nerve (optic chiasma), it can cause a decrease in vision. If the tumor grows too large and puts pressure on the intact cells of the pituitary gland that secrete other hormones, this can lead to symptoms such as fatigue and weakness, infertility, menstrual irregularity, decrease in sexual power and reluctance in men due to hormone deficiencies.
The easily observable growth signs are reflected in the daily life of the patient. For example, the patient's ring size and shoe size are getting bigger, the watch he has been using for years is tightening his arm, the helmet is starting to get tight on his head, the dental prosthesis is often changed because it tightens, snoring and nasal congestion continue despite the surgery. The patient can notice this problem when an acquaintance whom he has not seen for a long time tells him that he has changed and grown a lot. In this case, it may be useful for the patient to compare their new and 7-8 years old photographs. Sometimes, hearing from an acromegaly patient he met by chance, he may think that he also has this disease. Or he may learn that there are people in his family who have grown bigger and have undergone brain surgery.”
Dr. Sema Yarman continued her speech by saying:
“The clinical findings in Acromegaly, which is more common between the ages of 30 and 50, vary from patient to patient and because it develops very slowly, the disease may not be noticed for years. However, if it has typical findings, it can be easily diagnosed by an endocrinologist. After the examination, some hormonal tests, especially the growth hormone level, are performed and the pituitary MRI method is applied to visualize the tumor,” said Dr. Sema Yarman continued her speech by saying:
“The quality of life of patients with acromegaly, whose treatment process is mostly successful, improves and their life expectancy returns to normal as in healthy individuals. The first step in the treatment is the removal of the tumor through the nose by a neurosurgeon experienced in pituitary surgeries. The success of the surgery depends on the size of the tumor and the experience of the neurosurgeon. Generally, removal of small tumors is more successful than large ones. In large tumors, surgery is very effective in relieving headache and eliminating visual disturbances. However, in very large tumors that cannot be completely removed, additional treatments such as medication or radiation may be required after surgery.
Most of the time, the patient feels thinning of the face and shrinking of the hands and feet due to the regression of the soft tissue in the first few days after the surgery. With the treatment, it is aimed to prevent the activity of the disease by providing hormonal control and thus to cure other accompanying diseases. The most appropriate treatment method for the patient is decided by the experienced endocrinologist.” says.
One of the questions that acromegaly patients wonder is whether pregnancy is possible. prof. Dr. Yarman also says the following on this subject:
“Unless the tumor prevents the release of hormones from the cells that secrete reproductive hormones, the patient can have children. There are also patients who have children after surgery. However, surgery or radiation treatments can reduce the chances of having children. Although there are changes in growth hormone levels during pregnancy, a normal pregnancy and a healthy birth usually occur. It is recommended that the patient who has a pregnancy plan should discuss this situation with his physician before the treatment.
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