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Sleep apnea key symptom of rare disease

Posted by Cynthia McMurray | Halifax Citizen on December 18, 2017 in News
From left: Dr. Ali Imran, co-chair, endocrinology, Lisa Tramble, registered nurse and Dr. David Clarke, co-chair, neurosurgery, of the Halifax Neuropituitary Program, the key centre in the Maritimes for pituitary diseases. (Photo Credit: The Chronicle Herald)
From left: Dr. Ali Imran, co-chair, endocrinology, Lisa Tramble, registered nurse and Dr. David Clarke, co-chair, neurosurgery, of the Halifax Neuropituitary Program, the key centre in the Maritimes for pituitary diseases. (Photo Credit: The Chronicle Herald)


If your doctor told you that you have acromegaly, would you know what it is?

Likely not, according to Dr. Ali Imran, an endocrinologist at the QEII Health Sciences Centre and professor of medicine at Dalhousie University. Dr. Imran, who is also the co-chair of endocrinology for the Halifax Neuropituitary Program, says not many people have heard of this relatively rare disease or how it affects people.

“It can develop in childhood, but it typically develops in the 20s or early 30s. Your pituitary [gland] produces several key hormones, which control your endocrine and hormonal system. And one of those hormones is called growth hormone, which is a crucial hormone. Without it, you will not be able to achieve your normal height,” says Dr. Imran.

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