• A condition caused by prolonged exposure to excessive HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE in adults. It is characterized by bony enlargement of the FACE; lower jaw (PROGNATHISM); hands; FEET; HEAD; and THORAX. The most common etiology is a GROWTH HORMONE-SECRETING PITUITARY ADENOMA. (From Joynt, Clinical Neurology, 1992, Ch36, pp79-80)
  NLM Medical Subject Headings
  U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
• A condition in which the pituitary gland makes too much growth hormone after normal growth of the skeleton is finished. This causes the bones of the hands, feet, head, and face to grow larger than normal. Acromegaly can be caused by a pituitary gland tumor.
  NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
  U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
• A rare acquired endocrine disease related to excessive production of growth hormone (GH) and characterized by progressive somatic disfigurement (mainly involving the face and extremities) and systemic manifestations.
  OrphaNet
  INSERM, 2021
• A syndrome characterized by enlargement of the hands, feet, ears, nose, lips, and tongue, skin thickening and swelling of internal organs. It is caused by overproduction of growth hormone in the pituitary gland, usually by a pituitary adenoma.
  NCI
  U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
• Disorder caused by excessive secretion of somatotropin, characterized by bony enlargement of face, hands, feet, head and thorax.
  CRISP Thesaurus
  National Institutes of Health, 2006
• Excessive growth of body tissues due to overproduction of growth hormone in an individual who has completed linear growth.
  NICHD Pediatric Terminology
  U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
• Acromegaly is a hormonal disorder that develops when your pituitary gland produces too much growth hormone during adulthood. When this happens, your bones increase in size, including those of your hands, feet and face. Acromegaly usually affects middle-aged adults.
  Mayo Clinic
  Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2025
• Acromegaly is a hormonal disorder that results from the pituitary gland producing too much growth hormone (GH). It is most often diagnosed in middle-aged adults, although symptoms can appear at any age. Signs and symptoms include abnormal growth and swelling of the hands and feet; bone changes that; alter various facial features;...
  NIH Genetic and Rare Diseases
  National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
• The term acromegaly is derived from the Greek akros (meaning extremity) and megas (large). It refers to the characteristic growth of extremities, which describes one aspect of the disease. Acromegaly is a chronic, progressive, multisystemic disease associated with significant morbidity and increased mortality. It is caused by excessive...
  Epocrates
  Athenahealth, Inc., 2019
• Acromegaly, growth and metabolic disorder characterized by enlargement of the skeletal extremities. It is the result of overproduction of pituitary growth hormone (somatotropin) after maturity, caused by a tumour of the pituitary gland. Acromegaly is often associated with the abnormal growth in...
  Encyclopedia Britannica
  Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2025