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16th September 2024
Clinical features
There are a wide range of features caused by excess GH and the direct effects of adenoma. The onset tends to be slow, taking years to manifest. Below is a concise summary of the main features and complications.
| Excess GH effects | Soft tissue | Increased skin thickness, acral enlargement, macroglossia
Hyperhidrosis (sweat gland hypertrophy) and oily skin Acanthosis nigricans OSA |
| Bone and joint | Coarse facial features, prognathism, frontal bossing
Carpal tunnel syndrome Hearing loss Pseudogout, OA |
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| Cardiovascular | Biventricular hypertrophy, CCF, valvular heart disease
Arrhythmias |
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| Metabolic | Insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus
Increased triglycerides Renal stones (through stimulation of 1α-hydroxylase) |
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| Direct effects from the adenoma (particularly macroadenomas >1 cm) | Headache
Visual field defects classically bitemporal hemianopsia Cranial nerve palsies Hypopituitarism Hyperprolactinaemia (co-secretion of GH and prolactin) |
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