Acromegaly

acromegaly

[‚ak·rō′meg·ə·lē]

(medicine)

A chronic condition in adults caused by hypersecretion of the growth hormone and marked by enlarged jaws, extremities, and viscera, accompanied by certain physiological changes.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Acromegaly

 

a disease associated with disruption of the functioning of the anterior lobe of the hypothesis (adenohypophysis); it is accompanied by enlargement (broadening and thickening) of the wrists, feet, skull (especially the facial portion), and other parts. Acromegaly usually appears following maturation; its development is gradual, extending over many years. It is the result of excessive production of somatotropin. Analogous disruption of hypophysis activity in immature individuals is called gigantism. Acromegaly is accompanied by cephalalgia, fatigability, weakening of intellectual capacity, visual disorders, and frequently sexual impotence in men and amenorrhea in women. Its treatment consists of surgery of the hypophysis or roentgenotherapy.

REFERENCES

Baranov, V. G. Bolezni endokrinnoi sistemy i obmena veshchestv, 2nd ed. Moscow, 1955.
Rukovodstvo po klinicheskoi endokrinologii. Edited by E. A. Vasiukova. Moscow, 1958.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.