Progression of acromegalic arthropathy in long-term controlled acromegaly patients: 9 years of longitudinal follow-up

Context Joint complaints in patients with acromegaly are common, although the long-term disease course is largely unknown. Objective This study aims to evaluate the long-term course of acromegalic arthropathy. Design and Setting A prospective longitudinal cohort study was conducted in controlled acromegaly patients followed at a tertial referral center, with 3 study visits: at baseline and after a median of 2.6 and 9.1 years. Patients We included 31 patients with biochemically controlled acromegaly for 2 or more years (49% female; median age, 60 years) at baseline. Main Outcome Measures Radiographic arthropathy of the knee, hip, hand, and cervical and lumbar spine were evaluated using Kellgren and Lawrence (KL) scores, developed for assessment of primary osteoarthritis (OA). Radiographic progression was defined as a KL increase above the smallest detectable change. Joint symptoms were assessed using self-reported questionnaires. Progression was defined using existing clinically important cutoff values. Risk factors for progression were investigated using a multivariable model. Results All patients had definite radiographic OA at 1 or more joints at baseline. Radiographic progression was observed in 29%, 48%, 84%, and 94% of patients in the knees, hips, hands, and axial joints, respectively. Deterioration in hand-related pain and function was observed in 10 (32.3%) and 11 patients (35.5%), respectively. Solely baseline KL scores of the hip were associated with hip OA progression (OR 1.88; 95% CI, 1.09-3.16). Conclusions Acromegalic arthropathy showed significant radiographic progression over 9.1 years of follow-up in patients in remission, whereas clinical progression was observed less frequently. Future studies should focus on adequate prevention and treatment strategies of acromegalic arthropathy.

Acromegalic arthropathy in various stages of the disease: an MRI study

Background Arthropathy is a prevalent and invalidating complication of acromegaly with a characteristic radiographic phenotype. We aimed to further characterize cartilage and bone abnormalities associated with acromegalic arthropathy using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods Twenty-six patients (23% women, mean age 56.8 ± 13.4 years), with active (n = 10) and controlled acromegaly (n = 16) underwent a 3.0 T MRI of the right knee. Osteophytes, cartilage defects, bone marrow lesions and subchondral cysts were assessed by the Knee Osteoarthritis Scoring System (KOSS) method. Cartilage thickness and cartilage T2 relaxation times, in which higher values reflect increased water content and/or structural changes, were measured. Twenty-five controls (52% women, mean age: 59.6 ± 8.0 years) with primary knee OA were included for comparison. Results Both in active and controlled acromegaly, structural OA defects were highly prevalent, with thickest cartilage and highest cartilage T2 relaxation times in the active patients. When compared to primary OA subjects, patients with acromegaly seem to have less cysts (12% vs 48%, P = 0.001) and bone marrow lesions (15% vs 80%, P = 0.006), but comparable prevalence of osteophytosis and cartilage defects. Patients with acromegaly had 31% thicker total joint cartilage (P < 0.001) with higher cartilage T2 relaxation times at all measured sites than primary OA subjects (P < 0.01). Conclusions Patients with active acromegaly have a high prevalence of structural OA abnormalities in combination with thick joint cartilage. In addition, T2 relaxation times of cartilage are high in active patients, indicating unhealthy cartilage with increased water content, which is (partially) reversible by adequate treatment. Patients with acromegaly have a different distribution of structural OA abnormalities visualized by MRI than primary OA subjects, especially of cartilage defects.

Good Outcome Following Copeland Hemiarthroplasty for Acromegalic Arthropathy

We report the unusual case of a patient with acromegalic arthropathy who presented with severe shoulder arthrosis with marked osteophytosis. This patient is currently pain-free and has good shoulder function 4 years following a Copeland shoulder hemiarthroplasty. Acromegaly is a rare condition of growth hormone oversecretion, but arthropathy is a common feature of the natural history of the disease. This is the first published case report of the outcome of shoulder arthroplasty in a patient with acromegalic arthropathy and demonstrated that a good result can be obtained in this patient.