Acromegaly is associated with manifestations in many organs including the heart, colon, skin, bone, and many joints. Both weight and non-weight bearing joints are affected including shoulders, wrists, knees, hips, and the spine [1–3]. Patients with long-term cure or long-term biochemical control of acromegaly still suffer from acromegalic arthropathy. The prevalence of clinical and radiological osteoarthritis of the hip, hand, and knee reaches even up to 80 % [1]. In comparison with primary osteoarthritis, secondary osteoarthritis in patients with long-term cured acromegaly is characterized predominantly by osteophytes, which were observed frequently without joint space narrowing indicating preservation of articular cartilage. Patients with acromegaly report less functional disability of the hips and knees than the patients with primary generalized osteoarthritis [1]. Radiological features of acromegalic arthropathy progress despite long-term biochemical remission of acromegaly. In contrast to the crosssectional observations, which indicate widened joint spaces in patients cured or controlled from acromegaly, prolongation of follow-up is characterized by a decrease in joint space widening and progression of osteophytosis, despite long-term biochemical control. Thus, this arthropathy appears to be a progressive joint disease that is not merely halted or reversed by control of acromegaly [4]. Remarkably, medically well-controlled patients show more radiographic progression compared with surgically cured patients. In previous studies, GH secretion was still slightly abnormal during treatment with SMS analogs, despite appropriate biochemical control according to current criteria [5]. However, persistent abnormal GH secretion despite somatostatin analogs is not a straight forward explanation, since active acromegaly is associated with joint space widening, rather than with joint space narrowing. Alternatively, it may be hypothesized that SMS analogs have a direct effect on the cartilage of joints. Therefore, it may be possible that SMS analogs contribute to the pathophysiology of the progression of acromegalic arthropathy. In addition to arthropathy, patients with active and cured/controlled acromegaly suffer from an increased prevalence of vertebral fractures, although these patients are considered to have a low risk of osteoporosis since bone mineral density is not decreased [6]. More than 50 % of these patients suffered from vertebral fractures. There was no association with the duration of disease control, bone mineral density, markers of bone turnover, or acromegalic disease characteristics. There was a striking number of fractures per patient (mean 3.4 ± 0.3, range 1–8) [7]. It should be realized that the most of these fractures were asymptomatic. Fractures were also evident in men, especially in the presence of hypogonadism. In view of the significant morbidity associated with vertical fractures, the inclusion of lateral conventional radiographs of the thoracic and lumbar spine has been proposed in the screening of all patients with acromegaly both at diagnosis and during follow-up after establishment of disease control. Longitudinal studies are required to assess both the contribution of risk factors for these fractures including vitamin D, (replacement for) hypopituitarism, and of glucocorticoid replacement at a low dose and the optimal treatment modalities to prevent (additional) vertebral fractures. J. A. Romijn (&) Department of Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 22660, 1100 DD Amsterdam, The Netherlands e-mail: j.a.romijn@amc.uva.nl