Acromegaly (Cont.)

Treating Acromegaly

The goals of treatment for acromegaly are to:
 
  • Reduce growth hormone (GH) production to normal levels
  • Relieve the pressure that the growing pituitary tumor exerts on the surrounding brain areas to preserve normal pituitary function
  • Reverse or improve the acromegaly symptoms.
     
Current options for acromegaly treatment include:
 
  • Surgical removal of the tumor
  • Drug therapy
  • Radiation therapy of the pituitary.
     

Acromegaly Versus Gigantism

When growth hormone-secreting tumors occur in childhood, the disease that results is called gigantism rather than acromegaly. Fusion of the growth plates of the long bones occurs after puberty, so development of excessive GH production in adults does not result in increased height. Prolonged exposure to excess GH before fusion of the growth plates, however, causes the increased growth of the long bones and increased height associated with gigantism.
 

Other Information on Acromegaly

Certain acromegaly topics in this article have a link to additional eMedTV articles that provide more in-depth information. Click the specific link to view the related acromegaly article.
 
Other eMedTV articles about acromegaly include Acromegaly Research.
 

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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
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