Somatotroph adenoma; Growth hormone excess; Pituitary giant

• Body odor
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Decreased muscle strength (weakness)
• Easy fatigue
• Enlarged bones of the face
• Enlarged feet
• Enlarged hands
• Enlarged glands in the skin (sebaceous glands)
• Enlarged jaw (prognathism) and tongue
• Excessive height (when excess growth hormone production begins in childhood)
• Excessive sweating
• Headache
• Hoarseness
• Joint pain
• Limited joint movement
• Sleep apnea
• Swelling of the bony areas around a joint
• Thickening of the skin, skin tags
• Widely spaced teeth
• Widened fingers or toes due to skin overgrowth with swelling, redness, and pain

Other symptoms that may occur with this disease:

• Excess hair growth in females
• Weight gain (unintentional)

• High growth hormone level
• High insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) level
• Spine x-ray shows abnormal bone growth
• Pituitary MRI may show a pituitary tumor
• Echocardiogram may show an enlarged heart, leaky mitral valve, or leaky aortic valve

This disease may also change the results of the following tests:

• Fasting plasma glucose
• Glucose tolerance test

Images

Endocrine glands

Previous Section

Acromegaly Overview

Next Section

Acromegaly Treatment

Review Date: 11/25/2009
Reviewed By: Ari S. Eckman, MD, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)