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Endoscopic Endonasal Trans-sphenoidal Approach: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas
07:43

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Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Acromegaly: What's the Impact of Disease Control?

Ana Amado1, Fernando Araújo2, Davide Carvalho3

  • 1Faculty of Medicine University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal.

Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes : Official Journal, German Society of Endocrinology [And] German Diabetes Association
|January 25, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Acromegaly patients show cardiovascular risks like abnormal glucose and lipid levels. Disease control partially improves these factors, but they may not return to normal levels.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Metabolic Disorders

Background:

  • Acromegaly, a condition caused by excess growth hormone, is associated with increased cardiovascular disease mortality.
  • Cardiovascular risk factors are prevalent in acromegaly patients, impacting their overall health and prognosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare cardiovascular risk factors in acromegalic patients with active disease versus those with controlled disease.
  • To assess the influence of disease control on the prevalence of these risk factors.

Main Methods:

  • A comparative study involving 11 active acromegaly patients, 12 controlled acromegaly patients, and 11 controls with non-functioning pituitary adenomas.
  • Evaluation of blood pressure, body mass index, glucose levels, coagulation status, and lipid profiles in all groups.

Main Results:

  • Both active and controlled acromegaly patients exhibited significantly higher fasting glucose and fibrinogen levels compared to controls.
  • Active acromegaly patients had higher antithrombin III levels, while controlled patients showed higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
  • Disease control in acromegaly led to reductions in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and antithrombin III levels compared to active disease.

Conclusions:

  • Control of acromegaly leads to a partial improvement in cardiovascular risk factors.
  • Despite improvements, cardiovascular risk factors in controlled acromegaly patients may not fully revert to levels seen in the general population.
Abstract

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