Use random GH <1.0 µg/L as therapeutic goal
STEP 1 — Gather Information
Collect the patient's current random GH level, age‑adjusted IGF‑1, details of recent therapy (surgery, medical treatment), and presence of acromegaly‑related symptoms.
STEP 2 — Rule In / Rule Out
Is the random GH level <1.0 µg/L? If yes, proceed to step 3; if no, proceed to step 4 as inadequate control.
STEP 3 — Classify or Stratify
If random GH <1.0 µg/L and age‑adjusted IGF‑1 is within the laboratory‑specific normal range, classify as biochemical control; otherwise classify as inadequate control despite low GH.
STEP 4 — Decide
For biochemical control, continue current therapy and schedule re‑evaluation in 6–12 months; for inadequate control, consider intensifying therapy (e.g., dose adjustment of medical therapy, repeat surgery, or radiotherapy).
Clinical Guardrails / Mimics / Pitfalls
Do not rely on random GH alone for diagnosis (per guideline 1.4); avoid using a single GH measurement during acute illness or stress; ensure the same GH assay is used over time to minimize variability; do not ignore discordant IGF‑1 elevations or persistent symptoms.
Concrete Clinical Example
A 48‑year‑old man 3 months after transsphenoidal surgery has random GH 0.7 µg/L and age‑adjusted IGF‑1 within normal range; he is classified as controlled and continues clinical surveillance every 6 months.
Source: Acromegaly: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline, Endocrine Society, 2014, DOI:10.1210/jc.2014-2700
TODO: consider adding scripts/calc.py for the endo-therapeutic-goal-random-gh-1 calculator