Massive Pulmonary Embolism as the Initial Presentation of Acromegaly: Is Acromegaly a Hypercoagulable Condition?

BACKGROUND: The clinical presentation in acromegaly is usually insidious, with headaches or visual disturbances being the most common symptoms. Previous studies have shown higher fibrinogen levels, lower protein C and S activity values, and enhanced platelet function in patients with acromegaly compared to a normal population. Nevertheless, the link between hypercoagulability and acromegaly is often overlooked and rarely reported in the literature.
CASE REPORT: We report a case of a young man with a massive pulmonary embolism as the initial presentation of acromegaly. Extensive workup excluded other causes of thrombophilia. Furthermore, the diagnosis of acromegaly was confirmed by the patient’s clinical features as well as laboratory and radiological testing. A literature review on the link between hypercoagulability and acromegaly was performed.
CONCLUSIONS: This case report shed light on hypercoagulability as an under-recognized serious complication of acromegaly and paves the road for future studies on this topic.

Keywords: acromegaly, Embolism and Thrombosis, Pulmonary Embolism, Thrombophilia