November 2020
Acromegaly Awareness Day
Advocates observe Acromegaly Awareness Day every year on November first – a day to spread the word so that in the future, patients will no longer languish for months and even years without a diagnosis. The symptoms are common to many other conditions, so acromegaly patients are often told that they just need to lose weight, or that their symptoms are psychological in nature. Symptoms include enlarged hands, feet and tongue, headaches, fatigue, sweating, gaps between teeth, changes in facial appearance, painful joints, unexplained anger and/or tunnel vision. If you have these symptoms or notice them in others, talk to your doctor and request a GH or IGF-1 test, and check out the PNA’s list of physicians on our website www.pituitary.org.
Ipsen shared a lot of information material via social media in support of Acromegaly Awareness Day. READ MORE HERE.
This year for Acromegaly Awareness Day Chiasma Inc. hosted a webinar on Facebook Live how to communicate effectively with healthcare teams. The recording is available at https://www.facebook.com/MYCAPSSA.
The Pituitary Gland and the Theory of Evolution
An article in phys.org looks at a study from the journal Science that posits that the pituitary may develop from cells from 2 different areas of an embryo; the endoderm and the ectoderm. Previously the pituitary was believed to develop solely from the ectoderm. If true, this places the pituitary earlier in the evolutionary process than previously believed. Read more:
Isturisa Effective For Cancer Patients With Severe Cushings
An article in cushingsdiseasenews.com features a French study on the drug Isturisa, which found it successfully lowered cortisol levels in three patients with cancer and Cushing’s disease who could not take standard medications. Read more:
Post-Pregnancy Cushing’s Disease
An article in Cushingsdiseasenews.com looks at a study from South Korea that highlights two cases where women developed Cushing’s Disease while pregnant and were diagnosed after delivery. Read more:
Indian Neurosurgeons Improve Pituitary Outcomes
An article in the Hindustan Times shows that surgeons at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India have improved patient outcomes with more navigation and angled endoscopes in endoscopic surgery. The tumor resection rates improved 16% and the retreatment rates decreased from 21% to 8% with navigation. Read more:
Man Blames Pituitary Meds, Gets Lesser Sentence
An article on abc.net.au tells the story of an Australian prolactinoma patient who was convicted of filming his stepchildren in the shower or while undressing. He blamed his low impulse control on the fact that he takes Cabergoline. A judge gave him a lesser sentence after testimony by his endocrinologist. Read more:
4-Year-Old Pituitary Patient Brings Halloween Spirit to the Hospital
A 4-year-old boy in San Antonio who has pituitary cancer brought the Halloween spirit to his hospital ward by dressing up as a ghost to cheer up the other kids. Read more:
