Causes of Acromegaly

Acromegaly happens when your body produces an excessive amount of growth hormone. The supply of the surplus hormone is sort of invariably your pituitary gland, atiny low bean-shaped structure at the bottom of your brain behind your nose. Growth hormone is one in all many hormones your pituitary gland produces.

Growth hormone plays a very important role in growth and regeneration of your bones and different tissues by stimulating your liver to supply another hormone known as insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I).

 

In adults, a tumor is that the most typical reason for excess growth hormone:

• Pituitary tumors. Most cases of acromegaly are caused by a noncancerous (benign) tumor, or adenoma, of the pituitary gland. additionally to manufacturing excess growth hormone, these tumors will persist nearby tissues as they grow. This pressure will cause a number of the symptoms of acromegaly, like headaches and impaired vision.
• Nonpituitary tumors. in a very few individuals, acromegaly is caused by benign or cancerous tumors in different components of the body, like the lungs, pancreas or adrenal glands. a number of these tumors truly secrete growth hormone. In different cases, they manufacture a hormone known as growth hormone-releasing hormone (GH-RH), that stimulates the pituitary gland to create a lot of growth hormone.