How many people does acromegaly affect

When you have too much growth hormone, your bones increase in size. In childhood, this leads to increased height and is called gigantism. But in adulthood, a change in height doesn't occur. Instead, the increase in bone size is limited to the bones of your hands, feet and face, and is called acromegaly.

Because acromegaly is uncommon and the physical changes occur slowly over many years, the condition sometimes takes a long time to recognize. Untreated, high levels of growth hormone can affect other parts of the body, in addition to your bones. This can lead to serious — sometimes even life-threatening — health problems. But treatment can reduce your risk of complications and significantly improve your symptoms, including the enlargement of your features.

A common sign of acromegaly is enlarged hands and feet. For example, you may notice that you aren't able to put on rings that used to fit, and that your shoe size has progressively increased. Acromegaly may also cause gradual changes in your face's shape, such as a protruding lower jaw and brow bone, an enlarged nose, thickened lips, and wider spacing between your teeth.

Because acromegaly tends to progress slowly, early signs may not be obvious for years. Sometimes, people notice the physical changes only by comparing old photos with newer ones. Overall, acromegaly signs and symptoms tend to vary from one person to another, and may include any of the following:.

Acromegaly is caused by an excess of growth hormone. The most obvious signs of acromegaly arise from the overgrowth of bones in the face, hands and feet causing facial disfigurement, large hands and feet. However, the changes occur so slowly that they go unnoticed for a long time. Acromegaly develops after the person has reached adulthood. In children, the same condition causes extreme tall stature gigantism.

People aged between 30 and 50 years are most commonly affected. About 1, people in Australia are estimated to have acromegaly. A non-cancerous benign tumour on the pituitary gland is the most common cause.

The pituitary gland, located in the brain, produces a number of hormones including growth hormone. Growth hormone promotes growth in childhood and in an adult, it controls metabolism, muscle and bone mass. Excessive amounts of growth hormone stimulate the growth of all body tissues.

This effect is mediated by a growth factor called IGF-I, which is produced in the liver. A pituitary tumour adenoma is the commonest cause of acromegaly. The adenoma secretes excessive amounts of growth hormone, which affects many tissues of the body, including the bones and skin. The hormone imbalance usually causes disturbances in other hormonal systems. For example, too much growth hormone can cause diabetes, which occurs in up to one quarter of people with the condition.

Affected women can have menstrual cycle irregularities. The adenoma slowly enlarges and may press against the surrounding tissue, causing headaches. Children and adolescents will, however, develop gigantism , whereas adults develop acromegaly.

Thus, acromegaly is sporadic, meaning it is not inherited. When acromegaly develops at an early age some cases have an identifiable genetic mutation. Learn about acromegaly including how excess growth hormone released by a pituitary tumor causes this slowly evolving condition and the early symptoms and signs of acromegaly.

Information about the emotional, physical and social challenge of living with acromegaly. Do you have any practical tips that you think other people living with acromegaly might benefit from?

If so, please send us your tips via this form. Once submitted your suggestion will be reviewed by our expert advisors and considered for inclusion when this site is next updated.

I agree to the legal and privacy statement. Thank you for taking the time to share your tip, we will evaluate it and it may be added to this website in the future. This link is provided as a service to our website visitors.

It will take you to a website maintained by a third party who is solely responsible for its content. Ipsen does not control, recommend, endorse or accept liability for sites controlled by third parties.

This website is intended for US residents only. New Zealand. Home About acromegaly Learn about acromegaly Diagnosing acromegaly. Adapting to acromegaly Talking about acromegaly Helping others understand acromegaly Working and studying with acromegaly Traveling with acromegaly Conditions associated with acromegaly Keeping track of your medical care Practical tips and tools.

Acromegaly happens because your pituitary gland a pea-sized gland just below the brain produces too much growth hormone. This is usually caused by a non-cancerous tumour in the pituitary gland called an adenoma.

Most of the symptoms of acromegaly are due to the excess of growth hormone itself, but some come from the tumour pressing on nearby tissues. For example, you may get headaches and vision problems if a tumour pushes against the nearby nerves.

Acromegaly sometimes runs in families, but most of the time it's not inherited. Adenomas usually spontaneously develop because of a genetic change in a cell of the pituitary gland. This change causes uncontrolled growth of the affected cells, creating the tumour.

Rarely, acromegaly is caused by a tumour in another part of the body, such as the lungs, pancreas or another part of the brain. It may also be linked to some genetic conditions. Most people with acromegaly have surgery to remove a pituitary tumour.

Medicine or radiotherapy may sometimes be needed after, or instead of, surgery. Surgery is usually effective and can completely cure acromegaly. But sometimes the tumour is too large to be removed entirely, and you may need another operation or further treatment with medicine or radiotherapy. Under general anaesthetic , the surgeon will make a small cut inside your nose or behind your upper lip to access the pituitary gland.

A long, thin, flexible tube with a light and video camera at one end, called an endoscope , is fed into the opening so your doctor can see the tumour.

Surgical instruments are passed through the same opening and used to remove the tumour.