Heart in acromegaly – proposal to modify the definition of acromegalic cardiomyopathy

Abstract: Acromegaly is a systemic disease significantly affecting cardiovascular system. As a result of increased GH and IGF-1 values, changes occur in the heart, which are commonly called acromegaly cardiomyopathy. The progress in the treatment of acromegaly and comorbidities has changed the characteristics of this cardiomyopathy, and its 3rd stage is very rare today, it is reported from 1 to 4%. In turn, progress in diagnostics and the possibility of using new echocardiographic techniques, like speckle tracking echocardiography (STE), allows to  recognize the changes at the subclinical level. Due to the reversibility of some symptoms, early detection of changes and implementation of treatment is very important. This reduces the risk of cardiac complications, and consequently improves the quality and prolongs life.