title: Peripheral nervous system assessment in acromegaly patients under somatostatin analogue therapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Acromegaly is known to affect peripheral nervous system (PNS) causing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and polyneuropathy. The frequency of these disorders and the evaluation methods vary among studies. In the present study, we aimed to examine PNS of acromegaly patients under somatostatin analogue (SSA) therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-eight acromegaly patients (26 F/22 M, 45.58 ± 11.6 years) under SSA treatment and 44 healthy controls (25 F/19 M, 47.46 ± 8.7 years) were assessed by symptom questionnaires, neurologic examination and electrophysiological studies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  87.5 % of the acromegaly patients had at least one abnormal finding regarding PNS. With the incorporation of palm-wrist median nerve conduction velocity method, we detected CTS in 50 % of patients. Polyneuropathy was less frequent (29.2 %). Both conditions were independent from the coexisting diabetes mellitus (p = 0.22 for CTS, p = 0.71 for polyneuropathy). Polyneuropathy but not CTS was more common among biochemically uncontrolled acromegaly patients rather than those under control (p = 0.03; p = 0.68, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings emphasize the high prevalence of peripheral nervous system involvement in acromegaly patients under SSA therapy and importance of neurological evaluation of these patients. Early diagnosis and treatment of the disease may reduce the PNS involvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Marmara University School of Medicine, Fevzi Cakmak Mah. Muhsin Yazicioglu Cad. No: 10 Pendik, 34899, Istanbul, Turkey. hande_alibas@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alibas
authors.affiliation: Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Marmara University School of Medicine, Fevzi Cakmak Mah. Muhsin Yazicioglu Cad. No: 10 Pendik, 34899, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gogas Yavuz
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Marmara University School of Medicine, Fevzi Cakmak Mah. Muhsin Yazicioglu Cad. No: 10 Pendik, 34899, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kahraman Koytak
authors.affiliation: Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Marmara University School of Medicine, Fevzi Cakmak Mah. Muhsin Yazicioglu Cad. No: 10 Pendik, 34899, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uygur
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Marmara University School of Medicine, Fevzi Cakmak Mah. Muhsin Yazicioglu Cad. No: 10 Pendik, 34899, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanridag
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Marmara University School of Medicine, Fevzi Cakmak Mah. Muhsin Yazicioglu Cad. No: 10 Pendik, 34899, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Uluc
mesh_terms: D000172:Acromegaly / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000328:Adult; D002349:Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017933:Peripheral Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects*; D011115:Polyneuropathies / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*
chemical_list: D013004:Somatostatin
keywords: Acromegaly; Carpal tunnel syndrome; Peripheral nervous system; Polyneuropathy