Acromegaly: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment (2026 Guide)
Updated: 2 days ago
Medically reviewed by Dr. Baraa Alnahhal, MD · Last reviewed: September 2026
Acromegaly is a rare but serious condition in which bones, organs, and tissues grow larger than normal because the body produces too much growth hormone (GH). It is almost always caused by a benign tumor on the pituitary gland. Symptoms develop slowly over many years, often starting with tight rings or a larger shoe size. Doctors diagnose it with hormone blood tests and a pituitary MRI, and treat it with surgery, medication, and sometimes radiation therapy. When the tumor is removed early, cure rates reach 78% to 95% for small tumors, and well-managed patients generally have a normal life expectancy.
Quick Answer
Acromegaly is a rare condition (about 3 to 14 cases per 100,000 people) caused by a usually benign pituitary gland tumor that makes the body release too much growth hormone. It is most often diagnosed in people in their 40s or 50s, develops slowly over years, and is treated with transsphenoidal surgery through the nose, hormone-lowering medications, and/or radiation therapy. Without treatment, it can shorten life expectancy by roughly 10 years; with well-controlled hormone levels, life expectancy is likely normal.
What Is Acromegaly?
Acromegaly is a rare but serious medical condition that causes your organs, bones, and tissues to grow larger than average because of high levels of growth hormone (GH) in your body. Tumors on your pituitary gland typically cause it.
Growth hormone is essential in childhood, when it helps children grow taller. Once a child's growth plates close, GH no longer increases height. But the body still needs it. In adults, GH helps maintain normal bone, cartilage, and organ structure, and it supports metabolism, including keeping blood glucose (sugar) levels within a healthy range.
Too much GH in adulthood leads to irregularly shaped bones, enlarged organs, high blood sugar, and other symptoms. The condition is rare, affecting about 3 to 14 people in every 100,000, and it is most often diagnosed in people in their 40s or 50s.
What Causes Acromegaly?
The most common cause of acromegaly is a tumor on the pituitary gland called a pituitary adenoma. This tumor causes the pituitary gland to release excess growth hormone, which drives the symptoms.
Most pituitary adenomas do not release any hormones at all. Sometimes, however, the tumor releases too much growth hormone, and that is what leads to acromegaly. Pituitary adenomas usually develop for unknown reasons. Sometimes they run in families due to inherited genetic conditions.
Pituitary adenomas are almost always benign (noncancerous), and most adenomas that cause acromegaly grow slowly. This slow growth is exactly why you may not notice symptoms for many years.
Depending on its size and location, the adenoma may press against other tissue and affect other hormones your pituitary gland makes. If the adenoma is large, it may also press against nearby parts of your brain, causing headaches and vision problems.
Key fact: You cannot lower your risk for acromegaly, because experts do not know exactly why some people develop it. It can develop at any age after puberty.
Risk factors at a glance
Factor | What it means for you |
Age after puberty | Acromegaly can develop at any age after puberty |
Most common diagnosis age | Providers most often diagnose it in people in their 40s or 50s |
Family history | Sometimes runs in families due to inherited genetic conditions |
Controllable risk factors | None known; experts do not know exactly why it develops |
Prevalence | Affects about 3 to 14 people per 100,000 |
What Are the Symptoms of Acromegaly?
Acromegaly symptoms often start slowly and may be difficult to notice at first. The condition affects your body's bones and tissues, making them grow in irregular ways. Some people only notice their hands are bigger when the rings they regularly wear feel tight or their shoe size changes, especially the width.
Specific symptoms of acromegaly include larger hands or feet, changes in face shape such as a more prominent jaw and/or forehead, an increase in the size of the lips, nose, and/or tongue, excessive sweating or oily skin, deepening of the voice, and gaps between your teeth.
Other symptoms could include headaches, joint pain, vision changes, numbness in the hands, sleep apnea, and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Symptom reference table
Symptom | What to notice |
Large hands or feet | Rings feel tight; shoe size and especially shoe width increase |
Facial changes | More prominent jaw and/or forehead |
Lips, nose, tongue | Noticeable increase in size |
Skin | Excessive sweating or oily skin |
Voice | Deepening of the voice |
Teeth | New gaps forming between teeth |
Head and eyes | Headaches, vision changes (tumor pressing on brain) |
Hands and joints | Numbness in hands, carpal tunnel syndrome, joint pain |
Sleep | Sleep apnea |
What Complications Can Acromegaly Cause?
High levels of GH cause high levels of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1). IGF-1 affects how your body processes sugar (glucose) and fats (lipids). This can lead to serious complications such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), and heart disease.
Other complications of acromegaly can include cardiomyopathy, arthritis, and colon polyps, which can turn into colon cancer.
Complication | Why it happens |
Type 2 diabetes | High IGF-1 affects how the body processes glucose |
High blood pressure (hypertension) | IGF-1 affects glucose and fat metabolism |
Heart disease | Long-term GH/IGF-1 excess affects the cardiovascular system |
Cardiomyopathy | Enlarged heart weakens over time |
Arthritis | Irregular bone and joint growth causes joint disease |
Colon polyps | Complication that can progress to colon cancer |
Because of these complications, doctors often order follow-up tests — an echocardiogram to check the heart, a sleep study to check for sleep apnea, a colonoscopy to check colon health, and X-rays or a DEXA scan to check bone health.
How Do Doctors Diagnose Acromegaly?
Your healthcare provider will make a diagnosis based on your medical history, an exam, and hormone blood tests. They may take an MRI of your pituitary gland. You will most likely see an endocrinologist.
They may run additional tests to see whether the condition has affected other parts of your body. These tests may include an echocardiogram to check for heart issues, a sleep study to check for sleep apnea, a colonoscopy to check the health of your colon, and X-rays or a DEXA (DXA) scan to check bone health.
Diagnostic step | What it does |
Medical history and physical exam | Identifies symptom pattern such as growing hands, feet, and facial features |
Hormone blood tests | Measures growth hormone and IGF-1 levels |
MRI of the pituitary gland | Locates and sizes the pituitary adenoma |
Specialist care | You will most likely see an endocrinologist |
Echocardiogram | Checks for heart issues caused by the condition |
Sleep study (polysomnography) | Checks for sleep apnea |
Colonoscopy | Checks the health of your colon |
X-rays or DEXA scan | Checks bone health |
How Is Acromegaly Treated?
There are several treatment options for acromegaly. The most common are surgery, medication, and radiation therapy. Your healthcare provider will consider your symptoms and needs before recommending treatment.
Surgery
In many cases, surgery improves your symptoms or corrects the condition entirely. The specifics of the surgery depend on the tumor's size and location. The goal of surgery is to remove as much of the tumor as possible.
If your surgeon removes enough of the tumor, you may not need further treatment. If your surgeon can remove only part of it, you may need medication or radiation therapy to manage your symptoms and reduce the production of growth hormone.
Surgeons most often use a procedure called transsphenoidal surgery. This involves removing the pituitary tumor by going through your nose instead of opening your skull.
Medication
Your healthcare provider may prescribe one medication or a combination of medications. Medications work in different ways to lower your body's growth hormone levels and improve your symptoms.
In some cases, medication can shrink the tumor so it can be safer to remove with surgery. Other people may need to take medication regularly to manage symptoms and keep GH levels in a healthy range.
Is acromegaly curable?
Acromegaly can sometimes be cured. When the tumor is removed with surgery, cure rates are between 78% and 95% for small tumors and 35% to 67% for large tumors. Medications cannot cure acromegaly, but they can control your hormone levels and help you manage symptoms.
Treatment | How it works | What to expect |
Transsphenoidal surgery | Tumor removed through the nose instead of opening the skull | Improves symptoms or corrects the condition entirely in many cases |
Medication (one or combined) | Lowers GH levels in different ways; may shrink the tumor | Some people take it regularly long-term to manage symptoms |
Radiation therapy | Targets remaining tumor tissue | Used when surgery removes only part of the tumor |
What Is the Outlook with Acromegaly?
What you can expect depends on how severe the condition is and how well treatment manages hormone levels. Many people see a significant improvement in their symptoms.
Without treatment, acromegaly can change your appearance and the shape of your bones. These symptoms can greatly affect your self-image and quality of life. Support groups or counseling can help you cope with these challenges.
Health complications of acromegaly, like heart disease or Type 2 diabetes, can also decrease quality of life and shorten your lifespan. That is why it is important to contact your healthcare provider if you have symptoms. Once you begin treatment, follow your treatment plan and work closely with your healthcare team.
What is the life expectancy of someone with acromegaly?
Your life expectancy depends on how severe the condition is and whether you have other health conditions. If your growth hormone levels are not well-managed and you have other conditions like heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, your life expectancy may go down by about 10 years. But if acromegaly is well-treated and you have normal growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels, you will likely have a normal life expectancy.
When Should You See a Healthcare Provider?
Talk to your healthcare provider if you have symptoms of acromegaly. The earliest clues are easy to miss: rings that no longer fit, a shoe size that keeps increasing, and slow changes in the shape of your face. If you receive a diagnosis, you will see your provider regularly to make sure your treatment is working well.
Your next step: If you have noticed your hands, feet, or facial features gradually increasing in size — along with headaches, joint pain, or a deepening voice — book an appointment and ask about a hormone blood test and a pituitary MRI. Bring old photos if you can, since changes develop over years and photos make them easier to show.
FAQ
Is acromegaly cancer?
No. The pituitary adenoma that usually causes acromegaly is almost always benign (noncancerous). Most of these tumors grow slowly, which is why symptoms can take many years to become noticeable.
Can acromegaly be cured?
Sometimes. When the tumor is removed with surgery, cure rates are between 78% and 95% for small tumors and 35% to 67% for large tumors. Medications cannot cure acromegaly, but they can control hormone levels and manage symptoms.
What is the first sign of acromegaly?
Early signs are subtle and often start with hands and feet: rings that feel tight or a shoe size that increases, especially in width. Facial changes such as a more prominent jaw or forehead, and gaps between teeth, follow as the condition progresses.
How is acromegaly diagnosed?
Doctors diagnose acromegaly using your medical history, a physical exam, hormone blood tests, and an MRI of the pituitary gland. Additional tests such as an echocardiogram, sleep study, colonoscopy, or DEXA scan may check whether the condition has affected other organs.
What treatment is best for acromegaly?
The most common treatments are surgery, medication, and radiation therapy. Surgeons most often use transsphenoidal surgery, which removes the pituitary tumor through the nose instead of opening the skull. Medication can lower growth hormone levels, shrink the tumor before surgery, or manage symptoms long-term.
Can acromegaly shorten your life?
Untreated or poorly managed acromegaly may reduce life expectancy by about 10 years, especially when complications like heart disease or Type 2 diabetes develop. If hormone levels are well-treated and GH and IGF-1 stay in a normal range, life expectancy is likely normal.
Can you prevent acromegaly?
No. Acromegaly usually develops for unknown reasons, and there are no known ways to lower your risk. It can begin at any age after puberty and is most often diagnosed in people in their 40s or 50s. Early recognition of symptoms is the best protection.
References
Medical disclaimer: This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider about your individual condition.
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