Acral overgrowth

What it means

Excessive growth of hands and feet (predominantly due to soft tissue swelling). Typical manifestations include shoe size increase, foot enlargement, glove tightness, and hand enlargement.

This term should be used to encode the overgrowth of hands and feet that can be seen in acromegaly, a rare disorder caused by excessive growth hormone production, most commonly from an adenoma of the anterior pituitary gland. The resulting production of insulin-like growth factor 1 causes the characteristic overgrowth of certain tissues resulting in coarsening of facial features, enlarging hands and feet, as well as effects on multiple systems throughout the body. The Figure in PMID:30853479 illustrates large hands with stubby fingers characteristic of acromegaly.

Rare diseases that can present with this2

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Also called: Acral enlargement · Acral hypertrophy · Acromegalic growth · Acromegaly