Characterizing the burden of uncontrolled acromegaly – a description of real-world patient characteristics in Colombia

Abstract

Objective: To describe the epidemiology and clinical characteristics, relative to biochemical and disease control after treatment initiation, in patients with acromegaly in Colombia. Methods: Retrospective chart review of newly diagnosed acromegaly patients who initiated medical treatment at referral health institutions in Colombia. Patients with controlled vs uncontrolled disease were analyzed, including comorbidities and treatment patterns. In addition, patients receiving somatostatin analogues (SSAs) as first-line treatment (SSA cohort) were compared with those receiving other medical therapy (non-SSA cohort). Results: Data obtained from medical records of 53 patients showed a mean age of 49 years (SD 13.31) and a female preponderance (33 [62.26%]). After 1 year of treatment, 10 (18.9%) patients from the SSA cohort achieved complete biochemical control, showing significantly lower levels of median growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) vs 43 (81.1%) patients from the uncontrolled group (p=0.0010 and p=0.0001, respectively). During follow-up, acromegaly-related comorbidities were higher in patients with uncontrolled disease and in the non-SSA group vs the controlled group. Similarly, the percentage of physician visits was lower in the controlled (n=4/10, 40.0%) vs uncontrolled (n=31/43, 72.0%) group and in the SSA (n=24/38, 63.2%) vs non-SSA (n=11/15, 73.3%) cohort. Conclusion: In patients with acromegaly receiving medical therapy, both GH and IGF-1 levels tended to decline over time with the use of SSAs. Lower frequency of comorbidities and use of healthcare resources were associated with controlled acromegaly. Optimizing disease control with adequate patient follow-up and drug treatment may improve clinical outcomes and promote efficient use of healthcare resources.