title: Epidemiology of acromegaly: review of population studies.
abstract: Acromegaly is a rare condition necessitating large population studies for the generation of reliable epidemiological data. In this review, we systematically analysed the epidemiological profile of this condition based on recently published population studies from various geographical areas. The total prevalence ranges between 2.8 and 13.7 cases per 100,000 people and the annual incidence rates range between 0.2 and 1.1 cases/100,000 people. The median age at diagnosis is in the fifth decade of life with a median diagnostic delay of 4.5-5 years. Acral enlargement and coarse facial features are the most commonly described clinical manifestations. At the time of detection, most of the tumors are macroadenomas possibly relating to diagnostic delays and posing challenges in the surgical management. Increased awareness of acromegaly amongst the medical community is of major importance aiming to reduce the adverse sequelae of late diagnosis and treatment, improve patient outcomes and, hopefully, reduce the burden on the health care system.
authors.affiliation: Endocrine Unit, ARETAIEION Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Aikaterini
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lavrentaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paluzzi
authors.affiliation: Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: John A H
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Wass
authors.affiliation: Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR), College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, IBR Tower, Level 2, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK. n.karavitaki@bham.ac.uk.|Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham, UK. n.karavitaki@bham.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Niki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Karavitaki
mesh_terms: D000172:Acromegaly / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017677:Age Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution
keywords: Acromegaly; Epidemiology; Incidence; Prevalence