Update on quality of life in patients with acromegaly

Abstract

In recent years, health-related quality of life (QoL) has been considered an important outcome for clinical management of acromegaly. Poor QoL has been described in acromegalic patients with active disease as well as after endocrine cure. It is known that acromegaly determines many physical problems and psychological dysfunctions that unavoidably impact on patients' QoL. Moreover, there is evidence that factors, such as radiotherapy or post-treatment GH deficiency also impair QoL in patients diagnosed with acromegaly. Thus, including the assessment of QoL in daily clinical practice has become fundamental to understand the consequences of acromegaly and the impact on the patients' daily life.

Keywords: Acromegaly; Quality of life; Quality of life questionnaires; Self-perception; Wellbeing.