Acromegaly is an endocrine disease that leads to elevated production and secretion of growth hormone (GH). It can occur in adult and aged cats and is usually associated with neoplasms, such as functional pituitary macroadenoma of somatotropic cells. In dogs it is usually related to an increase in serum progesterone that induces production of GH by the mammary glands. The main clinical signs are related to insulin resistance and the anabolic effect induced by GH: polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia, increased tissue growth, weight gain, prognathism, and other changes. The condition can be diagnosed from clinical signals and imaging associated to measurement of serum concentrations of GH and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1, also known as somatomedin C). The main therapeutic modalities are radiotherapy, hypophysectomy, and several drugs such as somatostatin analogs, dopaminergic agonists and GH receptor antagonists. The present review aims to provide a relevant animal model of acromegaly with an update on the therapeutic approach that may help clinicians to consider the GH axis–IGF-1 system, its pathogenesis and the clinical signs induced by this hormonal disorder.

肢端肥大症是一种内分泌疾病，会导致生长激素 (GH) 的产生和分泌增加。它可以发生在成年猫和老年猫身上，通常与肿瘤有关，例如生长激素细胞的功能性垂体大腺瘤。在狗中，它通常与血清黄体酮的增加有关，后者会诱导乳腺产生 GH。主要临床症状与胰岛素抵抗和GH诱导的合成代谢作用有关：多尿、烦渴、多食、组织生长增加、体重增加、前突和其他变化。可以根据与测量血清 GH 和胰岛素样生长因子 1（IGF-1，也称为生长素 C）浓度相关的临床信号和成像来诊断这种情况。主要治疗方式为放射治疗、垂体切除术、和几种药物，如生长抑素类似物、多巴胺能激动剂和 GH 受体拮抗剂。本综述旨在提供一个相关的肢端肥大症动物模型，并提供治疗方法的最新信息，以帮助临床医生考虑 GH 轴-IGF-1 系统、其发病机制和由这种激素紊乱引起的临床症状。