Acromegaly is a disease caused by excess production of growth hormone (also called somatotropic hormone or GH for Growth Hormon). This leads to a change in the appearance of the face, an increase in the size of the hands and feet and also of many organs, which are the cause of the main symptoms and signs of the disease.

It is a rare condition, affecting around 60 to 70 cases per million inhabitants, which represents 3 to 5 cases per million inhabitants per year.

In adults, it is usually diagnosed between the ages of 30 and 40. Before puberty, the increase in GH causes gigantism or giganto-acromegaly.

The main cause of acromegaly is a benign (non-cancerous) tumor of the pituitary gland, a gland (also called the pituitary gland), located in the brain and which normally secretes several hormones including GH.