Six-months treatment with cabergoline in 10 acromegalic patients

Abstract EN

Acromegaly is an endocrine disease caused by hypersecretion of growth hormone from pituitary adenoma, its annual incidence is 4 per million per year while its prevalence approaches 60 per million.

The disease is known to reduce life expectancy and the main cause of mortality is cardiovascular.

The mainstay of treatment is hypophysectomy however pharmacotherapy with dopamine agonists (bromocreptine, cabergoline) and long acting octreotide represent other modalities of treatment after failure of surgical treatment or for patients in whom surgery is not feasible or contraindicated Aim.

The main objective of this study is to look for any reduction of plasma growth hormone (GH), and plasma glucose by using cabergoline.

Methods Ten acromegaly patients with active acromegaly were treated with the dopamine agonist, cabergoline over period of 6 months, and the target is to lower their GH, and plasma glucose.

Results : cabergoline use results in obvious decrement in both GH and plasma glucose in the fasting state and after taking a glucose load of 75 grams orally .These results were achieved in patints with pituitary microadenoma, or macroadenoma, and in those who failed to achieve cure after being exposed to trans-sphenoidal hypophysectomy.