Key result
Hypertension is linked to ~4-fold higher cardiomyopathy risk in women with acromegaly.
Why the study?
Acromegalic heart disease is common, but evidence specifically focused on women in Latin America remains limited.
Observational (n=116)
Yes
Odds Ratio: 3.9 (95% CI 1.4–11.1)
p-value: p=0.009
Cardiomyopathy is present in nearly one-third of women with acromegaly and is strongly associated with older age and cardiovascular comorbidities like hypertension and arrhythmias.
May warrant echocardiography consideration in hypertensive women with acromegaly; hypothesis-generating for associations, requiring prospective validation.
Background Acromegalic heart disease (AHD) is a common complication of acromegaly; however, evidence specifically focused on women in Latin America remains limited. Objective To characterize cardiomyopathy in women with acromegaly and identify clinical factors associated with its presence. Methods We conducted a secondary analysis of the multicenter RAPACO-Heart registry in Colombia. Women aged ≥18 years with confirmed acromegaly and available echocardiographic evaluation were included. Clinical, anthropometric, biochemical, and echocardiographic data were analyzed. Cardiomyopathy was defined by echocardiographic abnormalities consistent with AHD. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors independently associated with cardiomyopathy. Results A total of 116 women were included, of whom 34 (29.3%) had cardiomyopathy. Women with cardiomyopathy were older and had longer disease duration. Hypertension, arrhythmias, and carpal tunnel syndrome were more frequent in this group. In multivariable analysis, age (adjusted OR 1.07 per year; 95% CI 1.03–1.12; p = 0.001), hypertension (adjusted OR 3.9; 95% CI 1.4–11.1; p = 0.009), arrhythmias (adjusted OR 2.8; 95% CI 1.1–7.4; p = 0.03), and carpal tunnel syndrome (adjusted OR 2.6; 95% CI 1.1–6.5; p = 0.04) were independently associated with cardiomyopathy. Conclusions Cardiomyopathy was present in nearly one-third of women with acromegaly and was associated with older age and a higher burden of cardiovascular comorbidities. These findings highlight an underrecognized cardiovascular burden and support targeted cardiovascular assessment in this population.
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Sierra-Castillo et al. (2026) conducted an observational in Acromegaly (n=116). Hypertension vs. Absence of hypertension was evaluated on Cardiomyopathy (adjusted OR 3.9, 95% CI 1.4-11.1, p=0.009). Cardiomyopathy was present in 29.3% of women with acromegaly and was independently associated with older age, hypertension (adjusted OR 3.9), arrhythmias, and carpal tunnel syndrome.
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