What Causes Acromegaly?
Acromegaly is caused by the uncontrolled hypersecretion of growth hormone (GH) by the pituitary, a tiny gland — about the size of a pea — located just below your brain, behind your eyes. The pituitary controls normal growth, metabolism, and reproductive activity. In most cases, the cause of this excessive production of GH is a noncancerous tumor on the pituitary.
To understand the causes and treatment of acromegaly, you need to know about 3 important hormones that circulate throughout your body to regulate many of the most basic activities of your body:
Growth Hormone (GH)
- The pituitary releases GH in short spurts throughout the day and night, resulting in constantly varying GH levels. When a person has acromegaly, abnormally high levels of GH are released by the pituitary. Too much GH causes changes in physical characteristics and other aspects of your body.Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF-1)
- IGF-1 levels rise whenever GH levels rise; however, IGF-1 is released more evenly than GH, and IGF-1 levels remain higher longer. Researchers believe that elevated IGF-1 levels probably cause most of the changes to your body that are associated with acromegaly.Somatostatin
- One of the main effects of somatostatin is its ability to control the amount of GH in the body. Researchers have taken advantage of this knowledge in developing treatments for acromegaly. Natural somatostatin is broken down by the body in a matter of minutes, whereas treatments based on somatostatin remain active much longer.
GH is produced by the pituitaryIGF-1 is produced primarily by the liver in response to GHSomatostatin is produced by the hypothalamus, a part of the brain that influences the pituitary
