What is acromegaly?

These famous people had acromegaly....maybe you recongnize them.

Famous patients were 7'2" tall Richard Kiel ('Jaws' in the James Bond movies), and wrestler Andr茅 the Giant, both standing in excess of 2.10 meters. Paul Wight (The Big Show), also a wrestler, had surgery on his pituitary gland in the 1990s to fix the condition, his height peaking at 7' 1". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acromegaly

Features that result from high level of hGH or expanding tumor include:

Soft tissue swelling of the hands and feet (early sign)
Brow and lower jaw protrusion (enlarging jaw and hat size)
Enlarging hands (ring size)
Enlarging feet (shoe size)
Arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome
Teeth spacing increase
Heart failure (major medical problem)
Compression of the optic chiasm leading to loss of vision in the outer visual fields
Diabetes mellitus
Hypertension
Increased palmar sweating and sebum production over the face (seborrhea)are clinical indicators of active growth hormone (GH) producing pituitary tumours. These symptoms can also be used to monitor the activity of the tumour after surgery although biochemical monitoring is confirmatory. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acromegaly

Acromegaly is a hormonal disorder that most commonly occurs in middle-aged men and women.

Acromegaly is a hormonal disorder that results when the pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone (hGH). Most commonly it is a benign hGH producing tumor derived from a distinct type of cells and called pituitary adenoma.

Acromegaly is a hormonal disorder that results when the pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone

Your answer is in the link below. But I must tell you that I can't understand why you wouldn't just do a search for it yourself.

Over production of Human Growth Hormone. Unknown cause for the HGH excess. There are good treatments. See your endocrinologist or orthopedist