Abstract
Acromegaly is a chronic systemic disorder caused by a GH-secreting pituitary adenoma. Active acromegaly results in a poor quality of life due to symptoms such as headache, fatigue, arthralgia, depression, sexual dysfunction and hyperhidrosis; an increased prevalence of co-morbidities like diabetes, hypertension as well as cancer risk and a reduced life expectancy. Appropriate, modern, multimodal treatment of acromegaly has led to a significant improvement in quality of life, an adequate control of co-morbidities and a drastic reduction in the mortality rates that used to prevail in the past. This multimodal strategy includes an adequate selection of patients who are likely to benefit from surgical treatment (which has to be performed by a skilled pituitary neurosurgeon), the use of pharmacological interventions such as somatostatin analogs and dopamine agonists, which target the pituitary adenoma; and pegvisomant, a GH mutant acting as a competitive antagonist of the GH receptor. Radiation therapy is an important tool, particularly in parts of the World where resources are limited. The ultimate outcome of the individual patient depends on the judicious use of all these treatment options, which are critically analyzed in this mini-review.
Keywords: Acromegaly, cabergoline, dopamine agonists, GH, IGF-1, lanreotide, octreotide, pegvisomant, radiation therapy, somatostatin analogs.
Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders - Drug Targets
Title:The Multimodal Treatment of Acromegaly: Current Status and Future Perspectives
Volume: 14 Issue: 3
Author(s): Etual Espinosa, Claudia Ramirez and Moises Mercado
Affiliation:
Keywords: Acromegaly, cabergoline, dopamine agonists, GH, IGF-1, lanreotide, octreotide, pegvisomant, radiation therapy, somatostatin analogs.
Abstract: Acromegaly is a chronic systemic disorder caused by a GH-secreting pituitary adenoma. Active acromegaly results in a poor quality of life due to symptoms such as headache, fatigue, arthralgia, depression, sexual dysfunction and hyperhidrosis; an increased prevalence of co-morbidities like diabetes, hypertension as well as cancer risk and a reduced life expectancy. Appropriate, modern, multimodal treatment of acromegaly has led to a significant improvement in quality of life, an adequate control of co-morbidities and a drastic reduction in the mortality rates that used to prevail in the past. This multimodal strategy includes an adequate selection of patients who are likely to benefit from surgical treatment (which has to be performed by a skilled pituitary neurosurgeon), the use of pharmacological interventions such as somatostatin analogs and dopamine agonists, which target the pituitary adenoma; and pegvisomant, a GH mutant acting as a competitive antagonist of the GH receptor. Radiation therapy is an important tool, particularly in parts of the World where resources are limited. The ultimate outcome of the individual patient depends on the judicious use of all these treatment options, which are critically analyzed in this mini-review.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Espinosa Etual, Ramirez Claudia and Mercado Moises, The Multimodal Treatment of Acromegaly: Current Status and Future Perspectives, Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders - Drug Targets 2014; 14 (3) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1871530314666140609110308
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1871530314666140609110308 |
Print ISSN 1871-5303 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 2212-3873 |
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Announcements
Related Articles
-
Novel Modular DNA Aptamer for Human Thrombin with High Anticoagulant Activity
Current Medicinal Chemistry Recent Valves used for Transluminal Implantation in Patients with Aortic Valve Stenosis
Recent Patents on Cardiovascular Drug Discovery Antihypertensive Treatments in Patients Affected by Aortic Valve Stenosis
Current Pharmaceutical Design Stem Cells in Cardiovascular Regeneration: From Preservation of Endogenous Repair to Future Cardiovascular Therapies
Current Pharmaceutical Design A Proposal----The Renal Kallikrein-Kinin System as a Compensating System for Salt Accumulation after Excess Salt Intake
Current Hypertension Reviews Meet Our Editorial Board Member
Current Drug Discovery Technologies 25 Hydroxyvitamin D Levels are Negatively and Independently Associated with Fat Mass in a Cohort of Healthy Overweight and Obese Subjects
Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders - Drug Targets Brain Aging in African-Americans: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Experience
Current Alzheimer Research Drug Therapies in the Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases:Successes, Shortcomings and Future Directions
Current Vascular Pharmacology Editorial from Guest Editor (Thematic Issue: Connective Tissue Disease-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease)
Current Respiratory Medicine Reviews Fluid Retention and Rostral Fluid Shift in Sleep-Disordered Breathing
Current Hypertension Reviews Atrial Fibrillation with a Focus on Oral Antiarrhythmic Therapy
Current Drug Therapy Safety and Efficacy of Adenovirus Carrying Hepatocyte Growth Factor Gene by Percutaneous Endocardial Injection for Treating Post-infarct Heart Failure: A Phase IIa Clinical Trial
Current Gene Therapy Hypertension and Aortic Stenosis: A Review
Current Hypertension Reviews Glucose Intolerance and Diabetes Mellitus in Endocrine Disorders – Two Case Reports and a Review
Current Diabetes Reviews Glaucoma: Validated and Facile In Vivo Experimental Models of a Chronic Neurodegenerative Disease for Drug Development
Current Medicinal Chemistry - Central Nervous System Agents Polymorphism in Endothelin-1 Gene: An Overview
Current Clinical Pharmacology Integration and Querying of Heterogeneous Omics Semantic Annotations for Biomedical and Biomolecular Knowledge Discovery
Current Bioinformatics Side Effects of AAS Abuse: An Overview
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry Validity of Oxygen-Ozone Therapy as Integrated Medication Form in Chronic Inflammatory Diseases
Cardiovascular & Hematological Disorders-Drug Targets