Endocrine Abstracts

Adult patients with acromegaly after pituitary adenomas usually have emotional problems, impaired quality of life. Objective was to detect possible differences of emotional state between patients with acromegaly after pituitary adenomas and healthy age- and sex-matched controls and to outline possible gender-specific differences.

Patients and methods: 12 males (age 49.6±10.2 years) and 29 females (age 51.5±9.5 years) with acromegaly after pituitary adenomas; 12 control males (age 44.7±14.6 years) and 29 control females (age 50.4±12.7 years). Average duration since diagnosis of acromegaly was 7.1±8.9 years. Emotional state (domains of tension-anxiety, depression-dejection, anger-hostility, vigour-activity, fatigue-inertia, confusion-bewilderment) was evaluated using Profile of Mood States (POMS).

Results: Anger-hostility was significantly lower in men with acromegaly than in control men (9.5±5.0 vs 14.8±7.5, P=0.039). In women with acromegaly tension-anxiety (9.3±5.9 vs 4.5±6.0, P=0.005) was significantly higher than in control women. No significant differences in emotional state was detected betweeen men and women with acromegaly and between men and women in the control group, only some statistical trends. In acromegalic patients there was statistical trend for men to have higher vigour activity (16.8±4.8 vs 13.8±5.2, P=0.060) than women; in age- and sex-matched controls there was statistical trend for men to have higher anger-hostility (14.8±7.5 vs 9.7±5.7, P=0.061) than women.

Conclusion: Men with acromegaly after pituitary adenomas have lower anger-hostility level and women with acromegaly after pituitary adenomas have higher tension-anxiety level than age- and sex-matched controls.