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The saviour handshake

London: Before the handshake that may have saved his life, Mark Gurrieri thought his hands were getting bigger because of too much work at home and in his restaurant kitchen. But a chance meeting with a doctor revealed that the growth was related to a rare disease which could have cost him his sight.

Alarm bells rang for general practitioner Chris Britt when he spotted Mr. Gurrieri’s fleshy hand and large features. Mr. Gurrieri, 36, had acromegaly, a condition caused by excessive growth hormone from the pituitary gland, usually prompted by a tumour, that affects three in a million people.

In January, the restaurant owner had an operation to remove most of the tumour at the base of his brain. “My mum thinks Chris is my guardian angel,” said Mr. Gurrieri, from Essex.

Mr. Gurrieri’s friend, Rob Thompson, had taken Dr. Britt to lunch at the Amerigo Vespucci at Canary Wharf, east London, in December. Mr. Thompson introduced the pair, who shook hands at the door. Mr. Gurrier said: “He didn’t say anything to me but he turned to my friend and said ‘I am sure he has acromegaly’.”

Mr. Gurrieri, who has a seven-year-old son, said he had been feeling unwell and would fall asleep at a moment’s notice. “I always had big hands, but I noticed in recent years they had become quite chunky. I put it down to DIY (do-it-yourself) at home and working in the kitchen. I had noticed my face becoming more fleshy too.”

Doctors estimated he had had the condition, which can lead to blindness, diabetes and heart problems, for four or five years. Dr. Britt, a general practitioner in northeast London, said he had not seen a case since he was a student. “When I was at Bart’s (St. Bartholemew’s) hospital in London I saw a few people with the condition because it is a specialist centre.” — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008

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