Co-morbidities

I. Cardiovascular

•  hypertension

•  heart enlargement

•  abnormal rhythms (arrhythmias)

•  heart failure

II. Respiratory

•  sleep apnea

III. Gastrointestinal

•  colon polyps/cancer

IV. Metabolic

•  impaired glucose tolerance/type 2 diabetes

V. Musculoskeletal

•  arthritis

•  jaw (mandible) dysfunction

VI. Renal

•  chronic kidney failure

This list highlights those conditions that have the greatest impact on the health and quality of life on patients with Acromegaly. These conditions each require treatment simultaneous and independent of the management of Acromegaly. They must be constantly evaluated and aggressively treated.

Mortality rates are generally improved or normalized with normalization of GH levels. However, persistently elevated GH levels may be associated with a 3.5 fold increase in mortality.

For this reason, it is imperative that patients are committed to treating their condition aggressively to normalize GH and IGF-1 levels.