Varlamov Elena V, Fleseriu Maria
Pituitary Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
Pituitary. 2024 Dec;27(6):935-944. doi: 10.1007/s11102-024-01404-0. Epub 2024 May 31.
The COVID-19 pandemic created challenges in effective management of patients with acromegaly. Specifically, with regards to timely diagnosis, delays in surgeries, and disruption(s) to routine patient care. A transition to telemedicine did help to overcome safety restrictions that were placed on in-person care. Creation of surgical safety protocols in conjunction with widespread testing for COVID-19 has also helped with the resumption of pituitary surgery cases. However, acromegaly related comorbidities including cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, sleep apnea and respiratory disease, vertebral fractures, and hypopituitarism, may increase the risk of a more severe COVID-19 infection course. Of note and to date, no negative trends in COVID-19 related outcomes have been reported in patients with acromegaly. Nevertheless, anxiety and depression rates in patients with acromegaly are higher than those in the general population. More studies are needed to assess the true impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on morbidity, mortality, and neuropsychiatric health of patients with acromegaly.
新冠疫情给肢端肥大症患者的有效管理带来了挑战。具体而言，在及时诊断、手术延迟以及常规患者护理中断方面。向远程医疗的转变确实有助于克服对面对面护理所设置的安全限制。结合广泛的新冠病毒检测制定手术安全协议，也有助于垂体手术病例的恢复。然而，肢端肥大症相关的合并症，包括心血管疾病、糖尿病、睡眠呼吸暂停和呼吸系统疾病、椎体骨折以及垂体功能减退，可能会增加新冠病毒感染病程更严重的风险。值得注意的是，迄今为止，尚未有关于肢端肥大症患者新冠相关结果出现负面趋势的报道。尽管如此，肢端肥大症患者的焦虑和抑郁发生率高于普通人群。需要更多研究来评估新冠疫情对肢端肥大症患者发病率、死亡率和神经精神健康的真正影响。
