Acromegaly: Causes, symptoms and treatment

Acromegaly or acromegaly is a disease related to hormone disorders in the body, especially the growth hormone GH is too high. Acromegaly can occur at any age with diverse causes. When there are any symptoms of extreme extremes, it is necessary to visit a qualified medical center for the most appropriate examination, diagnosis and treatment.

Acromegaly, also known as anterior pituitary hypertrophy syndrome due to excessive growth of growth hormone, is a very rare disease today, which can occur in both children and adults. In adults, excessive GH secretion leads to hyperplasia of the bones and soft tissues inside the body called acromegaly. For children, especially children in the developing age, the connective cartilage still exists, when having acromegaly, the far poles will cause the bones to grow much longer and bigger than normal, leading to megaloblastic disease. giant. Some of the parts of the body that acromegaly can affect are the patient's arms, legs or even face.

GH is known as an endocrine hormone that regulates growth and development of the human body. The cause of extreme farsightedness was found to be due to the patient's body having too much GH hormone, causing the bones and other parts of the body to become excessively enlarged, in which bone is an overgrown structure. levels in this disease. The hormone GH is produced in the pituitary gland of the brain, and according to some studies, when the body has a benign pituitary tumor, it will lead to acromegaly.

Clinical signs of acromegaly are often difficult to detect because they do not appear prominently and at the same time develop silently over time, so patients often do not notice and detect these abnormal changes. on his body. Symptoms of dipole enlargement are divided into 3 main groups which are abnormal body shape, hormonal abnormalities and signs of brain tumor:
Abnormal body shape Low forehead Bow large, protruding eyebrows in front Thickened eyelids Protruding cheekbones Lower part of nose is spread out on both sides Wide nostrils Thick lips, especially lower lip Teeth gradually become thinner Tongue and lower jaw enlarge, lower jaw moves forward The skull bone gradually enlarges Hypertrophy of bones in the face, feet, hands, feet, legs thicker than normal Fingers are shaped like big hamstrings Body is usually curved downwards, the evil bill is protruding in front of the chest, although it is narrow transversely, but it is elongated in the anterior direction. posterior The collarbone, shoulder blade, and ribs are larger than those of people without the disease. Endocrine abnormalities Glucose metabolism disorders Genitourinary system dysfunction such as impotence in men and amenorrhea in women Pathological signs of brain tumors Occurrence of constant headaches, especially after 2 Eyes The field of vision is significantly narrowed, the field of vision may be lost in the outer area of ​​the eye or in the temporal region High blood pressure Cardiovascular problems Diabetes mellitus Hypothyroidism Adrenal insufficiency Other symptoms of the disease Large far poles appear in some other organ systems such as:
Hirsutism in female patients Difficulty sleeping Muscle weakness Sweating Occurrence of body odor Skin produces more oil.

To treat acromegaly, it is necessary to follow some basic principles as follows:
Bring the production of GH hormone back to the normal level that the body needs Reduce the pressure of the area around the benign tumor in The pituitary gland Ensures the pituitary gland to function normally If there is a hormone deficiency, it should be corrected immediately to treat the symptoms of acromegaly. Specific treatment for acromegaly includes the following methods: Pituitary tumors to prevent overproduction of the hormone GH is the first method of choice for doctors to treat acromegaly. However, the downside of this method is that it will damage the healthy glands in the body and it is possible that the patient will have to take pituitary hormone replacement for the rest of his life after the surgery. In addition, some undesirable complications may be encountered with a low rate, such as cerebrospinal fluid leakage or meningitis. Medical treatment with some drugs such as Somatostatin, GH receptor blockers, Dopamine antagonists to regulate as well as correct the overproduction of pituitary hormones. This method is often used on patients who cannot be treated with surgery. Radiation therapy is used to treat large tumors or remnants of the tumor that cannot be removed with surgery. When using radiation therapy, patients can reduce GH hormone levels over time when combined with the use of certain drugs. The duration of each course of treatment as above is from 4 to 6 weeks. The disadvantage of this method is that it can affect the patient's fertility or reduce vision, damage the brain or cause the appearance of secondary tumors.

Acromegaly is a disease that occurs clinically with a very low rate, due to the excessive production of GH hormone, which causes the body to increase the size of some organ tissues, most notably bone cells, causing the body to increase in size. of these bones are abnormally enlarged. When there are any symptoms of extreme extremes, it is necessary to immediately go to a medical facility for examination, investigation and treatment with the most appropriate method.