Acromegaly has an insidious, slowly progressive, long course and is often overlooked and diagnosed late, often with significant systemic changes by the time of diagnosis. Early detection and prompt treatment can improve remission rates and quality of survival.
The main clinical manifestations are three-fold symptoms.
Overgrowth of soft tissues, bone and cartilage throughout the body.
Symptoms of pituitary tumour compression.
Metabolic disorders and complications such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and respiratory disease.
Early signs include.
Sweating, weakness, larger shoe size, smaller finger rings, smaller gloves, friends who have not seen each other for several years suddenly feel unrecognisable with their faces and body shape changed, tendency for blood sugar and blood pressure to increase, etc.
If you have any of these features, you need to seek prompt medical attention for investigation.