Misdiagnosis of Acromegaly
Alternative diagnoses list for Acromegaly:
For a diagnosis of Acromegaly,
the following list of conditions
have been mentioned in sources
as possible alternative diagnoses
to consider during the diagnostic process for Acromegaly:
Diseases for which Acromegaly may be an alternative diagnosis
The other diseases for which Acromegaly
is listed as a possible alternative
diagnosis in their lists include:
Acromegaly: Hidden Causes Misdiagnosed?
Causes of Acromegaly may include these medical conditions:
Rare Types of Acromegaly:
Acromegaly Diagnosis: Book Excerpts
Common Misdiagnoses and Acromegaly
Pituitary conditions often undiagnosed cause of symptoms: There are a variety of symptoms
that can be caused by a pituitary disorder (see symptoms of pituitary disorders).
For example, fatigue, headache, weight gain, diabetes-like symptoms, and various other symptoms.
Pituitary tumors and other similar conditions are not as rare as physicians tend to believe.
See introduction to pituitary conditions.
Failure To Diagnose Acromegaly
Failure to diagnose Acromegaly may be associated with the following:
- Acromegaly is often not diagnosed in the early stages as the physical symptoms tend to develop slowly. Early diagnosis and treatment prevents complications such as heart and brain blood vessel disorders, respiratory disorders and cancers which can shorten life spans
- Acromegaly is frequently undiagnosed as it is so rare that there is a lack of awareness of the condition among the medical and general public
- Acromegaly may be difficult to diagnose because often symptoms develop separately and the whole picture may not be evident until the condition is quite advanced. For example, enlargement of the hands and feet may occur at a different time to symptoms such as widened teeth spacing and joint pain
- Acromegaly is rarely diagnosed in the early stages there is a large range of symptoms which are common to numerous other conditions that are often harmless. It is only when the symptoms are looked at as a collective group that the condition is more likely to be diagnosed
- Relatively early symptoms of acromegaly which are often overlooked are joint pain, amenorrhea, excessive sweating, sleep apnea and headache
Notes On Hidden Causes Of Acromegaly
The following may be hidden causes of Acromegaly:
- The cause of acromegaly is usually a pituitary gland adenoma but may also be caused by tumors in the pancreas, lungs and adrenal glands
- Acromegaly is associated with a number of genetic syndromes: Carney complex, McCune-Albright syndrome, Lamb syndrome and a rare syndrome called X-linked mental retardation with acromegaly and hyperactivity
Notes On Wrong Diagnosis Of Acromegaly
Wrong diagnosis of Acromegaly may be associated with the following:
- In rare cases, the early stages of acromegaly may be misdiagnosed as prolactinoma
- Enlarged, numb fingers caused by acromegaly may be misdiagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome
- Women with early symptoms of acromegaly such as weight gain, increased hand and foot size and increased abdominal girth may have their symptoms dismissed simply as normal processes of aging or menopause
- Joint pain and swelling caused by acromegaly may be misdiagnosed simply as arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis
- Fatigue caused by acromegaly may be misdiagnosed as a sleep disorder or chronic fatigue syndrome or may be simply dismissed as the side effect of a busy stressful lifestyle
- Acromegaly that occurs in older patients may be more prone to misdiagnosis as symptoms such as joint pain, glucose intolerance, mood depression and hypertension are also common complaints in older people and thus it may be dismissed as being the result of aging
- Females with menstrual problems due to acromegaly may be misdiagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome
General Misdiagnosis Articles
Read these general articles with an overview of misdiagnosis issues.
About misdiagnosis:
When checking for a misdiagnosis of Acromegaly
or confirming a diagnosis of Acromegaly,
it is useful to consider what other
medical conditions might be possible misdiagnoses or other alternative
conditions relevant to diagnosis.
These alternate diagnoses of Acromegaly may already have
been considered by your doctor or may need to be considered as possible
alternative diagnoses or candidates for misdiagnosis of Acromegaly.
For a general overview of misdiagnosis issues for all diseases,
see Overview of Misdiagnosis.
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