Acromegaly is a disease that affects the external organs of the body. When this disease affects external organs, there is an enlargement in these body parts. The major reason behind acromegaly is the excessive secretion of growth hormones. There is an increment in the size of hands and feet because a tumor in the pituitary gland is secreting excessive growth hormones.
Due to this disease, a patient can also experience the thickness of the skin and there can also be a change in the appearance of the face. All these problems will occur in adults due to acromegaly. However, according to a thyroid specialist, the symptoms of acromegaly will be different in children.
For example, if there is an excessive secretion of growth hormones in children then it may result in gigantism. Due to gigantism, they will become very tall. But a question, here, will definitely rise in your mind: why do children grow in terms of their height, why not adults?
Why there is an enlargement in the hands and feet of adults? Well, endocrinologists explain this phenomenon in a simple way. They say that the growth plates of the bones in adults and old people become fused. Therefore, they don’t get taller. And instead of an increment in their height, their hands and feet tend to grow after experiencing this problem.
However, acromegaly can also cause an increment in the internal organs. Which internal organs will this disease affect? It varies. In addition to affecting internal and external organs, this disease can also leave some effects on metabolism.
As you know, when any disease leaves effects on metabolism, a patient might experience abnormal glucose levels as well as diabetes mellitus.
Causes of Acromegaly
After discussing the effects of acromegaly in adults and children, it’s time to discuss what the cause of acromegaly is. As mentioned above, excessive secretion of growth hormones causes acromegaly. A benign tumor in the pituitary gland starts producing these hormones and they make the body parts grow large.
A benign tumor in the pituitary gland is known as a pituitary adenoma. You may be wondering whether this tumor is cancerous or noncancerous. The answer to this question is that usually, this tumor is noncancerous. However, rare things and exceptional matters are always there. There is no systematic schoolwork that supports that benign tumors will always be noncancerous.
As we discussed the major cause of acromegaly, we also need to see the symptoms of this disease in detail. After going through these symptoms, it will help us understating them in a better way.
Signs and Symptoms of Acromegaly
If this disease affects your body it does not mean that you will instantly develop some symptoms. Doctors believe that after experiencing this disease a patient will experience symptoms very slowly. Even it can take years for many patients to develop these symptoms.
There can be two possible reasons for a due in these symptoms. The first reason will be quite interesting which is the excessive secretion of growth hormones. And the second reason is some health conditions such as visual field defects as well as headaches.
People who experience acromegaly slowly face an enlargement in their hands and feet. This change makes them change their shoes and gloves. A patient with acromegaly shared his interesting story about this disease. He said that my disease was underlying and there was no diagnosis of it.
I don’t know for how many years I was experiencing it. One day I noticed that my shoes and gloves are not fit for body parts. First, I thought that there is a problem with gloves and shoes. Therefore, I tried another pair of these things. Do you what happened? They were too short. I tried wearing the third pair and the results were the same.
At that time, I realized an enlargement in my hands and feet. And then I contacted an endocrinologist to discuss my problem. After a complete, the endocrinologist diagnosed acromegaly in me.
Besides an enlargement in the hands and feet, acromegaly can also cause numbness and you may feel that there are sensations of pins and needles. Sometimes, a patient with acromegaly can also experience pain around the thumb.
The possibility of other health symptoms such as headaches, aches, and pains will also remain because of this condition. Some patients may also face the problem of excessive sweating and they will not know the reason behind excessive sweating until they are diagnosed with this health condition.
Myths about Acromegaly
Usually, many people have a myth that acromegaly will affect only those who will inherit them from their parents. But in most cases, acromegaly is not inherited from parents. However, a small number of patients may get it from their parents.
