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Aortic root ectasia in patients with acromegaly: experience at a single center

Alessandra Ferri Casini1, Leonardo Vieira Neto, Rosita Fontes

  • 1Endocrinology Unit, Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Clinical Endocrinology
|April 28, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Acromegaly patients show a larger aortic root diameter and higher prevalence of aortic ectasia compared to controls. This suggests growth hormone and IGF-I excess directly impact the cardiovascular system.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Endocrinology
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Acromegaly is linked to increased cardiovascular mortality.
  • Aortic root dilation is a potential manifestation of acromegalic cardiomyopathy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate aortic root diameter in acromegaly patients.
  • To determine the prevalence of aortic ectasia in acromegaly.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional analysis of 42 acromegaly patients.
  • Doppler echocardiography used for assessment.
  • Comparison with 42 matched controls.

Main Results:

  • Acromegaly patients had significantly larger aortic root diameters (3.4 ± 0.5 cm vs 2.9 ± 0.4 cm).
  • Aortic ectasia prevalence was higher in acromegaly patients (26.1% vs 2.3%).
  • Acromegaly was the sole predictor of aortic ectasia.

Conclusions:

  • Elevated aortic root diameter and aortic ectasia are more common in acromegaly.
  • Findings suggest direct cardiovascular effects of excess GH and IGF-I.
Abstract

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