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Have a headache
Hands and feet become larger and swollen
I have trouble with my period
Outside part of vision is missing
Hoarse voice
Skin is dark and hard
Dark skin
Not seeing your symptoms? No worries!
What is Acromegaly?
A condition caused by abnormally high levels of growth hormone in the blood. It is typically caused by benign (non-cancerous) tumors in the brain. It can present as abnormally large hands and feet and greater than average height.
Typical Symptoms of Acromegaly
- Change in facial appearance / features
- Hands and feet became larger, hence rings and shoes do not fit
- Double vision
- Headache
- Poor peripheral vision
- My lower jaw protrudes more than usual
- Decreased motivation
- Irregular periods
Diagnostic Questions for Acromegaly
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this disease:
- Have you noticed any recent changes in your facial features?
- Are your hands or feet getting bigger?
- Are you experiencing double vision?
- Do you have a headache?
- Do you experience loss of vision on both sides of your field of vision?
Treatment of Acromegaly
Treatment generally aims to remove the tumor and stop its effects - this can be done by surgery or radiation therapy. Medications can also be given to shrink the tumor and block the effects of high growth hormone levels.
Reviewed By:
Unnati Patel, MD, MSc (Family Medicine)
Dr.Patel serves as Center Medical Director and a Primary Care Physician at Oak Street Health in Arizona. She graduated from the Zhejiang University School of Medicine prior to working in clinical research focused on preventive medicine at the University of Illinois and the University of Nevada. Dr. Patel earned her MSc in Global Health from Georgetown University, during which she worked with the WHO in Sierra Leone and Save the Children in Washington, D.C. She went on to complete her Family Medicine residency in Chicago at Norwegian American Hospital before completing a fellowship in Leadership in Value-based Care in conjunction with the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, where she earned her MBA. Dr. Patel’s interests include health tech and teaching medical students and she currently serves as Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Arizona School of Medicine.
Hidetaka Hamasaki, MD (Endocrinology)
Dr. Hamasaki graduated from the Hiroshima University School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Medicine, Jichi Medical University. He completed his residency at the Department of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, National Center for Global Health and Medicine Hospital and the Department of Internal Medicine, Kohnodai Hospital, National Center for Global Health and Medicine. He has served in the National Center for Global Health and Medicine Hospital and Kohnodai Hospital and joined Hamasaki Clinic in April 2017. Dr. Hamasaki specializes in diabetes and treats a wide range of internal medicine and endocrine disorders.
Content updated on Mar 31, 2024
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
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People with similar symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes
- Joint pain
- My eyes hurt when i move them
- Excessive sweating
- Double vision in one eye
- Pulsating headache
- Swollen face
- My vision is not clear
- Thick skin
- Headache on the side of my head
- Double vision when looking with one eye closed
- Strong facial features
- Lower extremities edema
- See everything double
- Headache over the entire head
- Ring no longer fits over knuckle
See full list
Symptoms Related to Acromegaly
Diseases Related to Acromegaly
FAQs
Q.
Hormones Off? Why Hypothalamus Function Matters + Medical Next Steps
A.
Hormone symptoms can start in the hypothalamus, the brain’s control center that directs the pituitary and influences thyroid, cortisol, growth and sex hormones, fluid balance, metabolism, sleep, fertility, and temperature, so issues may appear as weight changes, fatigue, sleep disruption, irregular periods or libido changes, fertility problems, temperature intolerance, or gradual enlargement of hands and feet. There are several factors to consider. See below to understand more. Key next steps include tracking symptoms, asking your clinician for a comprehensive hormone panel (TSH/Free T4, morning cortisol and ACTH, LH/FSH, sex hormones, prolactin, IGF-1), pursuing a pituitary-focused MRI and endocrinology referral if central causes are suspected, considering an acromegaly symptom check for gradual enlargement, and seeking urgent care for sudden severe headache, vision changes, confusion, severe dehydration, or rapid unexplained changes.
References:
* Fleseriu, M., & Biller, B. M. K. (2019). Hypothalamic-pituitary disorders. *The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology*, 7(5), 384-398. PMID: 30858107
* Veldhuis, J. D., & Bowers, C. Y. (2019). Hypothalamic Control of the Pituitary Gland: Implications for Health and Disease. *Frontiers in Endocrinology*, 10, 810. PMID: 31824424
* Ghobadi, A., & Biller, B. M. (2020). Hypothalamic-pituitary pathology and neuroendocrine dysfunction. *Neurologic Clinics*, 38(4), 661-673. PMID: 32981504
* Tritos, N. A. (2019). Update in Hypothalamic-Pituitary Disorders. *The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism*, 104(10), 4429-4440. PMID: 31086967
* Miller, N. J., & Biller, B. M. (2020). Neuroendocrinology: The Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis. *Handbook of Clinical Neurology*, 173, 137-148. PMID: 33070732
Q.
Is it a Habsburg Jaw? Why your jaw protrudes and medical next steps.
A.
There are several factors to consider. A protruding lower jaw is usually mandibular prognathism, most often inherited or due to growth or dental alignment, but new or worsening changes in adulthood with signs like enlarged hands, tooth spacing, headaches, or vision issues can signal treatable acromegaly that needs prompt evaluation. Next steps include seeing a dentist or orthodontist for bite assessment and imaging, and if adult-onset changes are suspected, asking a doctor about IGF-1 blood tests and a pituitary MRI; treatments range from no treatment to orthodontics to jaw surgery, with important details and decision points explained below.
References:
* Vilas-Boas, F., Loureiro, D., Neves, G., Ribeiro, M., & Matos, A. (2020). The Habsburg Jaw—An Enduring Legacy of Inbreeding in the Spanish Habsburg Dynasty. *Annals of Human Biology*, *47*(1), 1–11. DOI: 10.1080/03014460.2019.1706692.
* Pan, C., Liu, C., Cao, H., Fu, S., Wang, H., & Hou, J. (2021). A Systematic Review of Etiology and Clinical Features of Mandibular Prognathism. *Frontiers in Physiology*, *12*, 746413. DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.746413.
* Singh, P., Goyal, P., Singh, V., & Grover, S. (2022). A review of recent advances in the diagnosis and management of mandibular prognathism. *Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology*, *26*(Suppl 1), S1–S7. DOI: 10.4103/jomfp.jomfp_256_21.
* Yang, Z., Xu, S., Fan, D., Liu, W., Wang, Q., Hu, S., ... & Li, F. (2022). Comprehensive analysis of skeletal-dental changes after orthodontic-surgical treatment for skeletal class III malocclusion with mandibular prognathism. *Orthodontics & Craniofacial Research*, *25*(3), 269-278. DOI: 10.1111/ocr.12574.
* Ren, M., Yu, Y., Song, Y., Han, R., Ma, C., Liu, B., & Wang, Y. (2020). Management of mandibular prognathism by BSSO using different osteotomy lines: a systematic review and meta-analysis. *Journal of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery*, *48*(1), 1-10. DOI: 10.1016/j.jcms.2019.10.010.
Q.
Is your body changing? Why your features grow and Acromegaly next steps.
A.
Progressive enlargement of your hands, feet, or facial features in adulthood can signal acromegaly, a rare excess growth hormone condition usually from a pituitary tumor, which can also bring headaches, joint pain, carpal tunnel, snoring or sleep apnea, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Next steps: compare old and recent photos, write down symptoms, and ask a clinician to check IGF-1 with possible glucose suppression testing, followed by a pituitary MRI if indicated; early treatment with surgery, medication, or radiation can prevent complications and often restores near normal life expectancy. There are several factors to consider that could change your plan, including red flags like vision changes or severe headaches that need urgent care, so see the complete guidance below.
References:
* Melmed S. Acromegaly. J Clin Invest. 2023 Feb 15;133(4):e164478. doi: 10.1172/JCI164478. PMID: 36790933; PMCID: PMC9930776.
* Colao A, Bronstein MD, Chanson P, Gadelha MR, Fleseriu M, Graff-Radford N, Melmed S. Acromegaly: historical and current perspectives in diagnosis and treatment. Endocr Rev. 2024 Apr 24:bnae009. doi: 10.1210/endrev/bnae009. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38656627.
* Gadelha MR, Gatto F, Bronstein MD, Chanson P, Vilar L. Acromegaly: Diagnosis and Management. Front Horm Res. 2023;56:39-50. doi: 10.1159/000531818. Epub 2023 Sep 8. PMID: 37683709.
* Petersenn S, Schopohl J. Acromegaly: from disease pathogenesis to novel medical therapies. Eur J Endocrinol. 2021 Jun 25;185(1):R1-R18. doi: 10.1530/EJE-21-0268. PMID: 33886562.
* Portale G, Colao A, Pivonello R, Gatta F, Bogazzi F, Losa M. The long-term management of acromegaly. J Endocrinol Invest. 2022 Dec 22. doi: 10.1007/s40618-022-01965-y. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36543949.
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Ubie’s symptom checker demonstrated a Top-10 hit accuracy of 71.6%, surpassing the performance of several leading symptom checkers in the market, which averaged around 60% accuracy in similar assessments.
Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1References
Vilar L, Vilar CF, Lyra R, Lyra R, Naves LA. Acromegaly: clinical features at diagnosis. Pituitary. 2017 Feb;20(1):22-32. doi: 10.1007/s11102-016-0772-8. PMID: 27812777.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11102-016-0772-8Melmed S. Acromegaly pathogenesis and treatment. J Clin Invest. 2009 Nov;119(11):3189-202. doi: 10.1172/JCI39375. Epub 2009 Nov 2. PMID: 19884662; PMCID: PMC2769196.
https://www.jci.org/articles/view/39375Chanson P, Salenave S. Acromegaly. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2008 Jun 25;3:17. doi: 10.1186/1750-1172-3-17. PMID: 18578866; PMCID: PMC2459162.
https://ojrd.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1750-1172-3-17Ambrosio MR, Gagliardi I, Chiloiro S, Ferreira AG, Bondanelli M, Giampietro A, Bianchi A, Marinis L, Fleseriu M, Zatelli MC. Acromegaly in the elderly patients. Endocrine. 2020 Apr;68(1):16-31. doi: 10.1007/s12020-020-02206-7. Epub 2020 Feb 14. PMID: 32060689.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12020-020-02206-7Parolin M, Dassie F, Vettor R, Maffei P. Acromegaly and ultrasound: how, when and why? J Endocrinol Invest. 2020 Mar;43(3):279-287. doi: 10.1007/s40618-019-01111-9. Epub 2019 Sep 9. PMID: 31502218.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40618-019-01111-9Acromegaly - Mayo Clinic
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/acromegaly/symptoms-causes/syc-20351222