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The following is a summary of “Knowledge and attitudes of primary care physicians regarding acromegaly: a survey study with multinational participation,” published in the December 2024 issue of Primary Care by Fenercioglu et al.

Acromegaly has high morbidity and mortality rates. Primary care physicians play a crucial role in early diagnosis. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess the knowledge and attitudes of primary care physicians toward acromegaly across various countries. 

They administered a 33-question survey in English and Turkish to 396 primary care physicians, including 280 from Turkey, 84 from Europe, 28 from Asia, and 4 from Nigeria. The survey was mainly distributed via Google Forms to social media groups, with some conducted in person. It covered clinical manifestations (12 questions), diagnosis (6 questions), comorbidities (12 questions), treatment (1 question), and prognosis (2 questions). Data were analyzed using the chi-square test. 

The results showed Turkish physicians had better knowledge of acral findings (96.8%) compared to Asian/African (84.4%) and European (84.5%) physicians (P < 0.001). Asian/African physicians were more knowledgeable about visceromegaly (P = 0.01), excessive sweating (P = 0.009), and comorbidities like colon cancer and goitre (P < 0.001, P = 0.032). Turkish and Asian/African groups had higher rates for “Old photographs can be informative” (P < 0.001). Only 36.1% of Turkish, 29.8% of European, and 31.3% of Asian/African physicians recognized growth hormone (GH) and IGF-1 levels as diagnostic. Only 18.6% of Turkish and 13% of European physicians knew surgery was the treatment of choice, while 59.4% of Asian/African physicians knew (P = 0.003). 

Investigators concluded that workshops, seminars, and specialized courses could improve primary care physicians’ knowledge of acromegaly and aid early diagnosis.

Source: bmcprimcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12875-024-02692-y