Skull/brow/jaw expansion and soft tissue/organ swelling. Due to excess pituitary growth hormone production.Bone TissueEncyclopedia Entry for Acromegaly :Acromegaly. Acromegaly is a rare condition. It is caused when the pituitary gland makes too much growth hormone. The pituitary gland is a small endocrine gland attached to the bottom of the brain. It controls, makes, and releases several hormones, including growth hormone. Usually a noncancerous (benign) tumor of the pituitary gland releases too much growth hormone. In children, too much GH causes gigantism rather than acromegaly.Symptoms of acromegaly may include any of the following: Body odor Blood in the stool Carpal tunnel syndrome Decreased muscle strength ( weakness ) Decreased peripheral vision Easy fatigue Excessive height (when excess GH production begins in childhood) Excessive sweating Headache Heart enlargement, which can cause fainting Hoarseness Joint pain , limited joint movement, swelling of the bony areas around a joint Large bones of the face, large jaw and tongue, widely spaced teeth Large feet (change in shoe size), large hands (change in ring or glove size) Large glands in the skin (sebaceous glands) causing oily skin, thickening of the skin, skin tags (growths) Sleep apnea Widened fingers or toes, with swelling, redness, and pain Other symptoms that may occur with this disease: Colon polyps Excess hair growth in females ( hirsutism ) High blood pressure Type 2 diabetes Thyroid enlargement Weight gain.The health care provider will perform a physical exam and ask about your symptoms. The following tests may be ordered to confirm diagnosis of acromegaly: Blood glucose Growth hormone and growth hormone suppression test Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) Prolactin Spine x-ray MRI of the brain , including the pituitary gland Echocardiogram Other tests may be ordered to check whether the rest of the pituitary gland is working normally.Surgery to remove the pituitary tumor that is causing this condition often corrects the abnormal GH. Sometimes, the tumor is too large to be removed completely and acromegaly is not cured. In this case, medicines and radiation (radiotherapy) may be used to treat acromegaly. Some people with tumors that are too complicated to remove by surgery are treated with medicines instead of surgery. After treatment, you will need to see your provider regularly to make sure that the pituitary gland is working normally and that acromegaly does not come back. Yearly evaluations are recommended.These resources may provide further information on acromegaly: Acromegaly Community -- acromegalycommunity.com Acromegaly.org -- acromegaly.org/en National Organization for Rare Disorders -- rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/acromegaly.Pituitary surgery is successful in most people, depending on the size of the tumor and the experience of the surgeon. Without treatment, the symptoms will get worse. Conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease may result.Call your provider if: You have symptoms of acromegaly Your symptoms do not improve with treatment.Acromegaly cannot be prevented. Early treatment may prevent the disease from getting worse and help avoid complications.Somatotroph adenoma; Growth hormone excess; Pituitary giant (in childhood).Endocrine glands Endocrine glands.Katznelson L, Laws ER Jr, Melmed S, et al. Acromegaly: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2014;99(11):3933-3951. PMID: 25356808 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25356808. Klein I. Endocrine disorders and cardiovascular disease.