The Goals of Treatment
When treating acromegaly, your health care professional is most concerned with controlling the disease to preserve your overall health. To keep you healthy, your treatment should address the goals of treating acromegaly.
The Goals of Acromegaly Treatment
The two main causes of the health problems and symptoms associated with acromegaly are hypersecretion of GH, and tumor enlargement. Surgery and medications that control GH and IGF-1 hypersecretion can reverse some of these health problems. Control of GH and IGF-1 hypersecretion also appears to reverse the risk of premature mortality.
Your progress will be monitored carefully regardless of which treatment you undergo. Of course, treatments may not always result in a complete reduction of GH or IGF-1 to within "normal" ranges. Please talk to your health care professional about your test results and what they mean for you. Since the signs and symptoms of acromegaly can affect both physical appearance and general health, their alleviation will help improve your overall well-being. Your health care professional will work with you to determine the best way to manage this important aspect of the disease. Control of the tumor, normalization of GH, and IGF-1 levels, and control of symptoms help prevent further complications and lead the way toward living a healthy life.
