Psychiatric morbidity in acromegaly

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Previous research on psychiatric morbidity in acromegaly has been inconsistent.
• Acromegaly is a condition caused by excess growth hormone.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically investigate psychiatric morbidity in acromegaly patients.
• To determine if there is an increased incidence of depression in acromegaly.
• To explore the relationship between growth hormone levels and psychiatric symptoms.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 51 acromegaly patients was assessed.
• The General Health Questionnaire was used for screening.
• The Present State Examination, a standard psychiatric interview, was administered.

Main Results:

• Overall psychiatric morbidity was not higher in acromegaly patients compared to general and patient samples.
• No increased incidence of depression was observed in acromegalic patients.
• No correlation was found between growth hormone levels and psychiatric morbidity.
• Female acromegaly patients exhibited higher psychiatric morbidity than males, but this did not reach statistical significance for the cohort.

Conclusions:

• Acromegaly patients do not appear to have increased psychiatric morbidity or depression.
• The findings challenge previous unsystematic reports of higher depression rates in acromegaly.
• The study suggests that co-occurrence of depression and acromegaly may often be coincidental.