Acromegaly is from Greek. acron is a limb, megalos is a large one associated with impaired function of the anterior pituitary gland. The cause of acromegaly in 95% of cases is excessive secretion of STH (somatotropic hormone) by pituitary adenoma, which is not associated with genetic diseases of the endocrine system. Hypersecretion of STH occurs due to gene mutations at the level of α-subunits of the G protein, under the influence of which tumor cell proliferation and increased secretory activity occur.In the remaining 5% of cases, acromegaly is one of the manifestations of hereditary genetically mediated diseases.
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