title: Prevalence of lung structure abnormalities in patients with acromegaly and their relationship with gas exchange: cross-sectional analytical study with a control group.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Different functional respiratory alterations have been described in acromegaly, but their relationship with pulmonary tissue abnormalities is unknown. The objective of this study was to observe possible changes in lung structure and explain their relationship with gas exchange abnormalities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional analytical study with a control group, conducted at a university hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 36 patients with acromegaly and 24 controls who were all assessed through high-resolution computed tomography of the thorax (CT). Arterial blood gas, effort oximetry and serum growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-1) were also assessed in the patients with acromegaly.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The abnormalities found in the CT scan were not statistically different between the acromegaly and control groups: mild cylindrical bronchiectasis (P = 0.59), linear opacity (P = 0.29), nodular opacity (P = 0.28), increased attenuation (frosted glass; P = 0.48) and decreased attenuation (emphysema; P = 0.32). Radiographic abnormalities were not associated with serum GH and IGF-1. Hypoxemia was present in seven patients; however, in six of them, the hypoxemia could be explained by underlying clinical conditions other than acromegaly: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in two, obesity in two, bronchial infection in one and asthma in one.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No changes in lung structure were detected through thorax tomography in comparison with the control subjects. The functional respiratory alterations found were largely explained by alternative diagnoses or had subclinical manifestations, without any plausible relationship with lung structural factors.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brasil.
authors.forename: Marcelo Palmeira
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brasil.
authors.forename: Luciana Ansaneli
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Naves
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brasil.
authors.forename: Carlos Alberto
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Viegas
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumology, Hospital Universitário de Brasília, Brasília, Brasil.
authors.forename: Cesar Augusto
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Melo-Silva
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Hospital Universitário de Brasília, Brasília, Brasil.
authors.forename: Wagner Diniz
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: de Paula
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Hospital Universitário de Brasília, Brasília, Brasil.
authors.forename: Márcia Teixeira
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Cabral
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumology, Hospital Universitário de Brasília, Brasília, Brasil.
authors.forename: Renata Rodrigues
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Hospital Universitário de Brasília, Brasília, Brasil.
authors.forename: Luiz Augusto
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Casulari
mesh_terms: D000172:Acromegaly / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000503:physiopathology; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000032:analysis; D008168:Lung / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011659:Pulmonary Gas Exchange / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I