Acromegaly is the clinical condition which results from prolonged, excessive circulating levels of growth hormone (GH) in adults (Fig. 3.1). The rare clinical counterpart of acromegaly, which occurs in younger patients before epiphyseal fusion, is called pituitary gigantism.
Acromegaly is an insidious disease which requires a high degree of suspicion on the part of the clinician for early diagnosis to be made. This is important because of the greater mortality associated with this condition which is twice that of normal.
