Hypopituitarism - Symptoms, Causes, Treatment

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

Hypopituitarism

One of the most important endocrine glands is the pituitary gland. With complete or partial loss of functions of its anterior lobe, a disease called hypopituitarism develops. Its clinical manifestations depend on which hormones were produced by the anterior pituitary gland in insufficient quantities. Symptoms of hypopituitarism usually develop over a long period of time, but the disease can occasionally begin abruptly and suddenly.

Causes of hypopituitarism:

• Traumatic brain injury;
• Postponed inflammatory diseases of the brain (meningitis, encephalitis);
• Syphilis, sarcoidosis, tuberculosis;
• Vascular disorders (massive birth bleeding, hemorrhages in the pituitary tissue, arteritis, aneurysms);
• Brain tumors.

Hypopituitarism: symptoms

If the function of the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland is insufficient, there is a deficiency of one or all of the hormones it synthesizes.

With a deficiency of gonadotropins in women, amenorrhea occurs (absence of menstruation, not associated with pregnancy or menopause), infertility, vaginal dryness, up to the development of symptoms of atrophic vaginitis. In especially severe cases, secondary sexual characteristics are lost.

Deficiency of gonadotropins in men causes the following symptoms of hypopituitarism: testicular atrophy, impotence, decreased sperm production, infertility, loss of secondary sexual characteristics.

The lack of gonadotropin production also explains the development of Kallman's syndrome - the inability to distinguish between odors, color blindness and non-closure of the hard palate and / or lips.

In adults, growth hormone deficiency usually does not lead to any clinical symptoms of hypopituitarism. But the lack of this hormone in children causes growth retardation, up to dwarfism.

Deficiency of thyroid-stimulating hormone leads to a decrease in thyroid function and the development of hypothyroidism. This is manifested by such symptoms of hypopituitarism as cold intolerance, lethargy, constipation, weight gain, dry skin.

Isolated deficiency of adrenocorticotropic hormone, which stimulates the activity of the adrenal glands, is quite rare. In this case, patients complain of increased fatigue, severe general weakness, and low blood pressure. They often have hypoglycemia (a decrease in serum glucose concentration). The body of these patients hardly adapts to stressful situations, including infections, injuries, and surgical interventions.

Isolated prolactin deficiency is extremely rare. It is the deficiency of this hormone that can explain the lack of breast milk in some women in the postpartum period.

With massive bleeding during childbirth or the early postpartum period with the development of hemorrhagic shock, women may develop Sheehan's syndrome, which occurs due to the death of cells in the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland as a result of a violation of their blood supply. In this case, the symptoms of hypopituitarism will be the absence of breast milk, increased fatigue, severe general weakness, hair loss in the armpits and on the pubis.

Diagnosis of hypopituitarism

When symptoms of hypopituitarism appear, a complete laboratory and instrumental examination of the patient must be performed. To clarify the structure of the pituitary gland, magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography is performed. Angiography is used to examine the blood vessels that feed the pituitary gland. In addition, the content of certain hormones in the blood is determined. In recent years, if hypopituitarism is suspected, doctors increasingly prescribe positron emission tomography to their patients, which allows them to obtain detailed data on the structure of the pituitary gland, its size and, in part, on the functioning of this endocrine gland.

Treatment of hypopituitarism

If a tumor is the cause of hypopituitarism, then surgical treatment and / or radiation therapy is necessary.

All patients suffering from hypopituitarism must be prescribed lifelong hormone replacement therapy, which allows to restore the normal hormonal balance in the body. For its implementation, male and female sex hormones, thyroidin, cortisol are used. In children with growth retardation resulting from hypopituitarism, growth hormone (growth hormone) is used. In addition, they are prescribed other drugs that are necessary for the normal development of the bones of the skeleton and the muscular system.

Correctly selected hormone replacement therapy allows you to eliminate all symptoms of hypopituitarism, as well as restore the normal activity of all internal organs.

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The information is generalized and provided for informational purposes only. At the first sign of illness, see your doctor. Self-medication is hazardous to health!