ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To present case studies of a 36-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man who presented with the syndrome of acromegaly, and to provide primary care nurse practitioners (NPs) with the understanding of the clinical and laboratory features needed for early recognition and treatment of this fascinating disease. DATA SOURCES: A comprehensive review of published literature on acromegaly is presented. The findings discussed include the history, physical examination, and diagnostic studies of two patients presenting in different ways. They both saw multiple healthcare providers, and had symptoms and signs eventually leading to the diagnosis of acromegaly. CONCLUSIONS: Acromegaly is the result of excessive amounts of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor type 1 (IGF-1), almost always caused by a benign adenoma of the pituitary gland. This leads to coarse facial features, soft tissue swelling (including the tongue), enlargement of the hands and feet, respiratory problems, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, carpal tunnel syndrome, and osteoarthritis. Early recognition and appropriate referral can reverse some of the signs and symptoms over time, and lead to decreased mortality and a markedly improved quality of life. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: These cases exemplify the challenges faced by NPs and other healthcare providers in diagnosing patients with acromegaly.
Subject(s)
Acromegaly/diagnosis , Adenoma/complications , Human Growth Hormone , Insulin-Like Growth Factor I , Acromegaly/nursing , Acromegaly/pathology , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Quality of LifeABSTRACT
The SHINE home injection service is part of a patient support program run by Novartis. SHINE is for people prescribed octreotide long-acting release (Sandostatin LAR) for neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) and acromegaly. SHINE has been running in Australia since 2009. The service is run by a third-party and administered by homecare (SHINE) nurses. Five hundred people with NETs or acromegaly have been involved since the service started. We review our collective experience of the benefits of SHINE, and make recommendations for future development. We hope this review provides guidance for developing future home injection service.
