Russian consensus on the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of acromegalia (draft)

Abstract

Acromegaly is a serious disease of the hypothalamic-pituitary system, caused by chronic overproduction of growth hormone (GH) in individuals with completed physiological growth, affecting mainly people of working age. The disease is characterized by significant disability of patients and a reduction in life expectancy, the main reasons for which are complications caused by prolonged hypersecretion of GH. These include primarily damage to the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, metabolic disorders, malignant neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. At the same time, timely diagnosis and adequate treatment can reduce mortality several times, significantly improve the quality of life of patients.
Until now, the problem of optimizing the diagnosis of acromegaly, especially the so-called “soft” form, as well as the choice of the most effective and safe treatment method, is relevant all over the world and in our country in particular.
At the V Russian Congress of Endocrinology, a draft consensus on the management of patients with acromegaly was discussed. Subject to the provisions of the international agreement and Russian experience, recommendations are offered for the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of this disease for further discussion, followed by the adoption of a final consensus.