Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the treatment of patients with acromegaly in a tertiary center: a wake-up call on the importance of telemedicine

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted health care worldwide. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the first COVID-19 wave on the treatment of our patients with acromegaly. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A standard questionnaire was systematically applied to all patients and included questions on general health status, whether all laboratory workup had been done, common signs and symptoms of acromegaly, treatment adherence, and previous COVID-19 symptoms and diagnosis. RESULTS: We attempted to contact 136 patients with acromegaly at regular follow-up at our institution and contacted 101 of them successfully. In all, 37% of the patients reported symptoms of acromegaly, which was more common among women. A total of 27 patients were lost to follow-up (including 19 who interrupted treatment during the pandemic) mainly for fear of becoming infected by the SARS-CoV-2. Of these, 24 resumed follow-up after our contact. CONCLUSIONS: The current COVID-19 pandemic has strongly impacted the follow-up of patients with acromegaly. Telemedicine can be an important tool to maintain regular treatment in the current or future pandemics.