User:Epaukner/Acromegaly

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Complication


 * Arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome
 * Enlarged heart
 * Liver fibrosis and bile duct hyperplasia.
 * Hypertension
 * Diabetes mellitus (excess of GH leads to insulin resistance)
 * Heart failure
 * Kidney failure
 * Colorectal cancer
 * Compression of the optic chiasm leading to loss of vision in the outer visual fields (typically bitemporal hemianopia.)
 * Increased palmar sweating and sebum production over the face (seborrhea) are clinical indicators of active GH-producing pituitary tumors. These symptoms can also be used to monitor the activity of the tumor after surgery, although biochemical monitoring is confirmatory.

Prognosis

Upon successful treatment, symptoms and complications generally improve substantially or disappear, including headaches, visual disturbances, excess sweating, and diabetes. Soft-tissue swellings generally decrease and acromegaly-associated facial features gradually return towards normal, although this may take some time. Life expectancy after the successful treatment of early acromegaly is equal to that of the normal population.

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Lead paragraphs:

Complications of the disease may include type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, and hypertension.

Early detection and treatment of acromegaly is key to a better outcome. The life expectancy of a case of early detection and treatment of acromegaly is roughly the same as the rest of the population.

Complications

 * Problems with bones and joints, including osteoarthritis, nerve compression syndrome due to bony overgrowth, and carpal tunnel syndrome
 * Hypertension
 * Diabetes mellitus
 * Cardiomyopathy, potentially leading to heart failure
 * Colorectal cancer
 * Sleep Apnea
 * Thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer
 * Hypogonadism
 * Compression of the optic chiasm by the growth of pituitary adenoma leading to visual problems

Prognosis Section

Life expectancy of people with acromegaly is dependent on how early the disease is detected. Acromegaly can often go on for years before diagnosis, resulting in poorer outcome than if detected early, and it is suggested that the better the growth hormone is controlled, the better the outcome. Upon successful surgical treatment, headaches and visual symptoms tend to resolve. One exception is sleep apnea, which is present in around 70% of cases, but does not tend to resolve with successful treatment of growth hormone level. While hypertension is a complication of 40% of acromegaly cases, it typically responds well to regular regimens of anti-hypertension medication. Diabetes that occurs with acromegaly is treated with the regular regimen of medications, but successful lowering of growth hormone levels often alleviates symptoms of diabetes. Hypogonadism without gonad destruction is reversible with treatment. Life expectancy after the successful treatment of early acromegaly is equal to that of the normal population.