Which feature is characteristic of acromegaly after adjusting options?

Which feature is characteristic of acromegaly after adjusting options?

• A. Short stature
• B. Weight loss
• C. Enlarged hands and facial features
• D. Hyperpigmentation

Answer: (C)

Excess growth hormone in adulthood leads to growth that thickens bones and enlarges soft tissues rather than making you taller. This produces the classic signs of acromegaly: enlarged hands and feet and coarse facial features due to expansion of the jaw and other facial bones, as well as possible macroglossia and organomegaly. These changes develop after the growth plates have closed, so you don’t see height increase like in gigantism; instead, long- bone length stops, and the face, hands, and feet become noticeably larger. This is why enlarged hands and facial features are the hallmark finding. In contrast, short stature points to hormone deficiency earlier in life; weight loss is not typical of acromegaly (weight gain or metabolic changes are more common due to GH effects), and hyperpigmentation is not a feature of acromegaly (it’s associated with other endocrine issues like Addison disease).

Excess growth hormone in adulthood leads to growth that thickens bones and enlarges soft tissues rather than making you taller. This produces the classic signs of acromegaly: enlarged hands and feet and coarse facial features due to expansion of the jaw and other facial bones, as well as possible macroglossia and organomegaly. These changes develop after the growth plates have closed, so you don’t see height increase like in gigantism; instead, long- bone length stops, and the face, hands, and feet become noticeably larger.

This is why enlarged hands and facial features are the hallmark finding. In contrast, short stature points to hormone deficiency earlier in life; weight loss is not typical of acromegaly (weight gain or metabolic changes are more common due to GH effects), and hyperpigmentation is not a feature of acromegaly (it’s associated with other endocrine issues like Addison disease).