Acromegaly and How It Affects YOU!
Meg Hackett, Geraldine Loveless, Courtney Sims, Liz Vajs
Acromegaly, also known as hyperpituitarism, is a chronic metabolic disorder
that results in a gradual enlargement of tissues including the bones of
the face, jaw, hands, feet, and skull. (Acromegaly: niddk.gov) Acromegaly is a rare disease. In
a population of one million people, fifty cases would be found. Pierre Marie
(1853-1940) first established the differential diagnosis of acromegaly in 1885.
Acromegaly comes from the Greek words for "extremities" and "enlargement"
and literally means enlargement of the distal parts of the body. That meaning
reflects directly on the characteristic appearance of someone with the disease.
The appearance of large hands are due to the contrast between the giant
head and the disproportionately slender arm which bears it, sometimes increased
by atrophy of the muscles. The furrows of the skin are deep, the folds
puffy and the fingers thick like sausages with the nails proportionately
smaller in comparison. There is often curvature of the vertebral column
and associated deformity of the chest. These are characteristic appearances
of someone stricken heavily with the disease. (Acromegaly, Mr. Punch and
Caricature: vertigo.derby.ac.uk)
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