Acromegaly (gigantism) explained | Symptoms, causes, treatment

Dr O'Donovan explains key signs and symptoms of Acromegaly (including real clinical photos) including prognathism, teeth spacing, enlarging hands and feet, frontal bossing and more.

Acromegaly is a rare condition where the body produces too much growth hormone, causing body tissues and bones to grow more quickly. It can be caused by a pituitary adenoma.

Over time, this leads to abnormally large hands and feet, and a wide range of other symptoms.

Acromegaly is usually diagnosed in adults aged 30 to 50, but it can affect people of any age. When it develops before the end of puberty, it's known as "gigantism".

As time goes on, common symptoms include:

abnormally large hands and feet
large, prominent facial features (such as the nose and lips) and an enlarged tongue
skin changes – such as thick, coarse, oily skin, skin tags, or sweating too much
deepening of the voice as a result of enlarged sinuses and vocal cords
joint pain
tiredness and weakness
headaches
blurred or reduced vision
loss of sex drive
abnormal periods (in women) and erection problems (in men)

Symptoms often become more noticeable as you get older.

See a GP straight away if you think you have acromegaly.

Further information via NHS website:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/acromeg...

More info:

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-info...

Mayo Clinic links:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-c...
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