Acromegaly Patient Checklist Questions To Ask Your HCP | American Association of Clinical Endocrinology

Acromegaly: Questions to Ask Your Health Care Professional

When addressing your health concerns and personal treatment plan, it can be helpful to ask your health care professional specific questions. Below are a variety of questions to help you get started.

Questions: What is acromegaly? What does the pituitary gland do? Is acromegaly a type of cancer? How serious is acromegaly? What's my long-term outlook once I'm being treated for acromegaly? Can having acromegaly shorten my life? What are the risk factors for acromegaly? How common is acromegaly? What are potential complications of acromegaly? Should I be screened for any potential complications? What causes acromegaly? Does acromegaly tend to run in families? How is acromegaly different from gigantism? What are the signs and symptoms of acromegaly? Can acromegaly cause hair loss? How can having acromegaly affect my mental health? Can the symptoms of acromegaly be reversed?

More questions: How large is my tumor, and what does that mean for its likelihood to respond to treatment? How is acromegaly diagnosed? Will I need a doctor's assistance to interpret test results? Why is acromegaly diagnosis often delayed? How can a delayed diagnosis of acromegaly impact my health? Based on my test results and symptoms, can you estimate how long I've had acromegaly? What types of doctors care for patients with acromegaly? How is acromegaly treated? What happens during surgery for acromegaly? What are the risks of surgery for acromegaly? What does recovery look like following surgery for acromegaly? Are there any restrictions post-surgery and for how long? What activities should I avoid after surgery, and for how long? What physical and emotional support and resources are available after surgery? What types of medications are used to treat acromegaly, and how do they work?

More questions: Are acromegaly medications typically taken by injection or as pills? What are the side effects of acromegaly medications? Are acromegaly medications expensive? Can I receive financial assistance? How is radiation therapy used to treat acromegaly? What are the side effects of radiation therapy? If I get radiation therapy for acromegaly, does that mean I have cancer? How do you determine which acromegaly treatment, or combination of treatments, is right for me? Are there clinical trials studying treatments for acromegaly? Where do I find out about clinical trials for acromegaly? Is there a cure for acromegaly? How will I be monitored moving forward? What types of tests will be involved? What symptoms should prompt me to call you or my specialist between appointments? What should I do if a medication isn't working or symptoms return between treatments? Should I stay active or take it easy? What lifestyle changes could I make to help manage my symptoms? Where can I connect with other people living with acromegaly?

Recordati Rare Diseases and AACE. Learn more at aace.com/acromegaly

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Thank you to our AACE member volunteers for developing this guide: Archana R. Sadhu, MD, FACE; and Ipsita Mishra, MD, DM.

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