Cardiovascular disease is the most frequent cause of death in patients with acromegaly. Recently, long-term treatment with a somatostatin analogue (Sandostatin LAR) has been shown to be effective in controlling growth hormone (GH) and insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) hypersecretion in most patients with acromegaly. Along with the effectiveness in the hormone profile, Sandostatin LAR has been reported to be effective for tumor mass shrinkage and clinical symptom improvement. We have encountered a female acromeglic patient with severe dilated cardiomyopathy and the patient was treated with Sandostatin LAR After treatment for 12 months, as seen by follow up echocardiography, the overall cardiac function was significantly improved. We report the case with a review of the literature.
Acromegaly* ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cause of Death ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Growth Hormone ; Humans ; Insulin ; Octreotide* ; Somatostatin