Acromegaly somatostatin analogs

Somatostatin analogs are the mainstay of pharmacotherapy for the treatment of acromegaly when surgery and radiation are contraindicated or have failed. 

Ayuk J, Stewart SE, Stewart PM, Sheppard MC. Longterm safety and efficacy of depot long-acting somatostatin analogs for the treatment of acromegaly. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2002 87(9) 4142-6. 

A long-acting formulation of lanreotide, another octapeptide somatostatin analog, was approved by the FDA in 2007 for treatment of acromegaly. Lanreotide appears to have effects comparable to those of octreotide on reducing GH levels and normalizing IGF-1 concentrations. 

Murray RD, Melmed S A critical analysis of clinically available somatostatin analog formulations for therapy of acromegaly. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2008 93(8) 2957. [PMID 18477663]... 

Freda PU. Somatostatin analogs in acromegaly. J Qin Endocrinol Metab... 

Vance ML, Harris AG. Long-term treatment of 189 acromegalic patients with the somatostatin analog octreotide. Results of the international multicenter acromegaly study group. Arch Intern Med 1991 151 1573-1578. 

Merola B, Cittadini A, Colao A, et al. Chronic treatment with the somatostatin analog octreotide improves cardiac abnormalities in acromegaly. J CUn Endocrinol Metab 1993 77 790-793. 

Grunstein RR, Ho KKY, SulUvan CE. Effect of octreotide, a somatostatin analog, on sleep apnea in patients with acromegaly. Ann Intern Med 1994 121 478 83. 

Octreotide, a somatostatin analog, has some efficacy in reducing the excess GH production that causes acromegaly. The answer is (D). 

Ronchi C, Epaminonda P, Cappiello V, Beck-Peccoz P, Arosio M Effects of two different somatostatin analogs on glucose tolerance in acromegaly. J Endocrinol Invest (2002) 25,... 

Calao A, Auriemma RS, Savastano S, Galdiero M, Grasso LFS, Lombardi G, Pivonello R. Glucose tolerance and somatostatin analog treatment in acromegaly a 12-month study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009 94 2907-14. 

Originally isolated from the hypothalamus, somatostatin is a small polypeptide that is also found in neurons throughout the body, as well as in the intestine and pancreas. Somatostatin therefore predictably has a number of actions. Octreotide [awk TREE oh tide] is a synthetic octapeptide analog of somatostatin. It has a much longer half-life than the natural compound and has found use in the treatment of acromegaly caused by hormone-secreting tumors, and secretory diarrhea associated with tumors producing the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). Adverse effects of octreotide treatment are flatulence, nausea, and steatorrhea. 

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