FAIRBANK’S DISEASE AND ACROMEGALY

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Context

Fairbank’s disease

About: Fairbank's disease or multiple epiphyseal dysplasia (MED) is a rare genetic disorder (dominant form: 1 in 10,000 births) that affects the growing ends of bones.
Disease: Long bones normally elongate by expansion of cartilage in the growth plate (epiphyseal plate) near their ends. As it expands outward from the growth plate, the cartilage mineralizes and hardens to become bone (ossification). This process is defective.
Signs and symptoms: Joint pain and fatigue after exercising. A waddling gait may develop. The spine is normal but may have a few irregularities, such as scoliosis.
Treatment: Patient usually requires management of pain and orthopedic procedures, for which facilities are available at tertiary care institutions in India.

Acromegaly

About: Acromegaly is a hormonal disorder that develops when your pituitary gland produces too much growth hormone during adulthood. Acromegaly is caused most often from a tumor in the pituitary gland.
Disease: When there is too much growth hormone, bones increase in size. In childhood, this leads to increased height and is called gigantism. The increase in bone size is limited to the bones of hands, feet and face, and is called acromegaly.
Symptoms: Enlarged hands and feet, Excessive sweating and body odor, Small outgrowths of skin tissue, Pain and limited joint mobility etc.
Treatment: The most common treatments for acromegaly are surgery, medication and radiation therapy. The somatostatin drug used for Acromegaly, is a scheduled drug as per the National List of Essential Medicines 2015.