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Acromegaly - Symptom

Alternative Names

Somatotroph adenoma; Growth hormone excess; Pituitary giant; Gigantism

Symptoms:

Body odor
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Decreased muscle strength (weakness)
Easy fatigue
Enlarged bones of the face
Enlarged feet
Enlarged hands
Enlarged glands in the skin (sebaceous glands)
Enlarged jaw (prognathism) and tongue
Excessive height (when excess growth hormone production begins in childhood)
Excessive sweating
Headache
Hoarseness
Joint pain
Limited joint movement
Sleep apnea
Swelling of the bony areas around a joint
Thickening of the skin, skin tags
Widely spaced teeth
Widened fingers or toes due to skin overgrowth with swelling, redness, and pain

Other symptoms that may occur with this disease:

Excess hair growth in females
Weight gain (unintentional)

Signs and tests:

High growth hormone level
High insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) level
Spine x-ray shows abnormal bone growth
Pituitary MRI may show a pituitary tumor
Echocardiogram may show an enlarged heart, leaky mitral valve, or leaky aortic valve

This disease may also change the results of the following tests:

Endocrine glands

Reviewed last on: 3/18/2008
Elizabeth H. Holt, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Yale University. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Melmed S, Kleinberg D. Anterior pituitary. In: Kronenberg HM, Melmed S, Polonsky KS, Larsen PR, eds. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Elsevier; 2008:chap 8.

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