Acromegaly - Lesson 47
As an medical transcription learner, you must know about more disease conditions and its causes, so I am trying to give you appendices of terms to improve your knowledge. In this lesson, we will learn what is acromegaly...ok
WHAT IS ACROMEGALY?
Acromegaly is an example of an endocrine disorder. The pituitary gland attached to the base of the brain produces an excessive amount of growth hormone after the completion of puberty. So, a person with Acromegaly is of abnormal height. Because the long bones have stopped growth after puberty, but has an abnormally large growth of bones and tissue in the hands, feet, and face. High levels of growth hormone before completion of puberty produce excessive growth of long bones (gigantism) as well as Acromegaly.
Acromegaly (from Greek akros "extreme" or "extremities" and megalos "large" - extremities enlargement) is a syndrome that results when the pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone (hGH) after epiphyseal plate closure. A number of disorders may affect the pituitary to create this circumstance, although most commonly it involves a GH producing tumor derived from a distinct type of cells (somatotrophs) and called pituitary adenoma.
Acromegaly most commonly affects adults in middle age, and can result in severe disfigurement, serious complicating conditions, and premature death if unchecked. Because of its insidious pathogenesis and slow progression, the disease is hard to diagnose in the early stages and is frequently missed for many years, when changes in external features, especially of the face, become noticeable.
SYMPTOMS OF ACROMEGALY:
Facial aspect of a patient with acromegaly. The nose is widened and thickened, the cheekbones are obvious, the forehead bulges, the lips are thick and the facial lines are marked. The forehead and overlying skin is thickened, sometimes leading to frontal bossing.
As compared with the hand of a normal person (left), the hand of a patient with acromegaly (right) is enlarged, the fingers are widened, thickened and stubby, and the soft tissue is thickened.
Mandibular overgrowth leads to prognathism, maxillary widening, teeth separation and jaw malocclusion.
Features that result from high level of hGH or expanding tumor include:
Soft tissue swelling visibly resulting in enlargement of the hands, feet, nose, lips and ears, and a general thickening of the skin
Soft tissue swelling of internal organs, notably the heart with attendant weakening of its muscularity, and the kidneys, also the vocal cords resulting in a characteristic thick, deep voice and slowing of speech
Generalized expansion of the skull at the fontanelle
Pronounced brow protrusion, often with ocular distension
Pronounced lower jaw protrusion with attendant macroglossia (enlargement of the tongue) and teeth gapping.
CAUSES OF ACROMEGALY:
In over 90 percent of acromegaly patients, the overproduction of growth hormones is caused by a benign tumor of the pituitary gland, called an adenoma. These tumors produce excess growth hormones and, as they expand, compress surrounding brain tissues, such as the optic nerves. This expansion causes the headaches and visual disturbances that often accompany acromegaly. In addition, compression of the surrounding normal pituitary tissue can alter production of other hormones, leading to changes in menstruation and breast discharge in women and impotence in men because of reduced testosterone production.
TREATMENT:
The goals of treatment are to reduce GH production to normal levels, to relieve the pressure that the growing pituitary tumor exerts on the surrounding brain areas, to preserve normal pituitary function, and to reverse or ameliorate the symptoms of acromegaly. Currently, treatment options include surgical removal of the tumor, drug therapy, and radiation therapy of the pituitary.
Understand..we will now move to the next lesson of appendices about SPLENOMEGALY..ok
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