Could earlier recognition improve diagnosis of acromegaly?

Acromegaly is rare, and diagnosis is often delayed for years because early symptoms are vague. This commentary in the Norwegian Medical Association’s journal discusses a report of 23 patients operated on at Haukeland University Hospital during 2015–24. Most did not achieve remission after primary surgery and required additional treatment; macroadenomas were common. The author suggests that earlier diagnosis might have improved outcomes for some patients.

Possible early features include headache, fatigue, sweating, elevated blood pressure or blood glucose, nonspecific joint pain, swelling and carpal tunnel syndrome. The commentary stresses considering combinations of persistent symptoms and reassessing patients when problems recur, while noting that population screening is not appropriate and random growth hormone measurements have little diagnostic value.

When suspicion remains, the author describes targeted measurement of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), preferably through a hospital laboratory using standardised sampling procedures. A positive result warrants specialist evaluation or consultation with an endocrinologist. The article is an opinion commentary, not a diagnostic guideline; the underlying surgical series is small, and it provides no validated screening strategy or evidence that AI tools improve diagnosis.