Acromegaly is a distinctive type of hormonal disorder that occurs when the pituitary gland releases an unnatural amount of growth hormone. The excessive amount of the hormone results in gigantism with the bones of the face, hands and feet increasing in size. This is common in children at a growing age and can be distinguished by an increase in growth and height.

Acromegaly happens gradually over the years and it is impossible for early detection. The symptoms become prominent after a few years when the child grows out of proportion. It needs prompt medical attention because ignoring it can pave the way for literally life-threatening situations.

When the pituitary gland produces too much of GH or growth hormone and releases it into the bloodstream, it stimulates the liver to produce IGF-1 or insulin-like growth factor-1. This IGF-1 is ultimately responsible for an unnatural growth of the bones and the nerve tissues which leads to acromegaly and gigantism.

Health complications due to acromegaly

If left untreated, acromegaly can do some serious damage to your health, even lead to premature death. The risks you might face because of acromegaly are:

# Onset of hypertension or high blood pressure
# Cardiomyopathy or an increased size of the heart, leading to a number of cardiovascular diseases
# Osteoarthritis
# High level of diabetes mellitus
# Formation of a goiter
# Growth of polyps on the wall of the colon, leading to cancer
# Experiencing sleep apnea where the breathing process at the time of the sleep becomes unsmooth.
# Carpal tunnel syndrome
# Hypopituitarism, a condition of the pituitary gland secreting more of the growth hormone and less of other hormones
# Signs of tumors in the uterus
# Extreme compression of the spinal cord

Proper guidelines about the acromegaly at the right time by the experts of Curedit can decrease your health risks as well as your bone size.