DOI: 10.12890/2020_001950
Pseudoacromegaly Associated with Non-Functioning Pituitary Adenoma
Authors
aotaibi@live.com
Keywords
Pituitary, growth factors, acromegaly, pseudoacromegaly, adenomaAbstract
Acromegaly is characterized by excess skin and soft tissue growth due to increased growth hormone (GH) levels. Patients with similar physical findings but without somatotroph axis abnormalities are considered to have pseudoacromegaly. The list of pseudoacromegaly differential diagnoses is long. It may be caused by several congenital and acquired conditions and diagnosis can be challenging due to its rarity and occasional overlapping of some of these conditions. The presence of a pituitary tumour in such cases may lead to a misdiagnosis of acromegaly, and thus, biochemical evaluation is key. Here, we present a case of pseudoacromegaly with an acromegaloid phenotype, normal IGF levels, a supressed GH response to an oral glucose tolerance test, moderate insulin resistance and non-functioning pituitary microadenoma.
References
- Mims RB. Pituitary function and growth hormone dynamics in acromegaloidism. J Natl Med Assoc 1978;70(12):919–923.
- Narendra BS, Dharmalingam M, Kalra P. Acromegaloidism associated with pituitary incidentaloma. J Assoc Physicians India 2015;63:79–82.
- Marques P, Korbonits M. Pseudoacromegaly. Front Neuroendocrinol 2019;52:113–143.
- Geffner M, Bersch N, Kaplan S, Lippe B, Van Herle A, Elders MJ, et al. Growth without growth hormone: evidence for a potent circulating human growth factor. Lancet 1986;327(8477):343–347.
- Ashcraft MW, Hartzband PI, Van Herle AJ, Bersch N, Golde DW. A unique growth factor in patients with acromegaloidism. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1983;57(2):272–276.