Hypopituitarism (patient information)

	Hypopituitarism
Overview
What are the symptoms?
Who is at highest risk?
Diagnosis
When to seek urgent medical care?
Treatment options
Where to find medical care for Hypopituitarism?
Prevention
What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?
Hypopituitarism On the Web
Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov
Images of Hypopituitarism
Videos on Hypopituitarism
FDA on Hypopituitarism
CDC on Hypopituitarism
Hypopituitarismin the news
Blogs on Hypopituitarism
Directions to Hospitals Treating Hypopituitarism
Risk calculators and risk factors for Hypopituitarism

For the WikiDoc page for this topic, click here

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief: Jinhui Wu, M.D.

Overview

Hypopituitarism is a disorder in which the pituitary gland does not produce normal amounts of some or all of its hormones. Common causes may be genetic mutations, head trauma, brain tumor, brain surgery, radiation treatment, autoimmune inflammation, stroke, infections of the brain, tuberculosis, and so on. Usual signs and symptoms include abdominal pain, loss of appetite, hypotension, fatigue and weakness, headache, short stature, and disorder in secondary sexual characters. Hormone tests, bone age X-ray test and cranial MRI may help diagnosis. Treatments of hypopituitarism focus on the cause of the disease and hormone replacement therapy.

Other health problems may also cause these symptoms. Only a doctor can tell for sure. A person with any of these symptoms should tell the doctor so that the problems can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.

Hormone tests: Patients with hypopituitarism may show low levels of thyroid, adrenal or sex hormones. And the doctor can determine whether these low levels are associated with inadequate pituitary hormone production.
Bone age x-ray test: Comparing to normal children, bone age test in patients with hypopituitarism may demonstrate a delayed physical maturation.
Cranial CT or MRI: Since brain diseases are the most common cause of this condition, it may show pituitary tumor signs and other characteristics in MRI.

Treatment opinion depends on the cause and the hormaone types insufficient.

Treatments of tumor: Surgical removal of tumor is the first selection for the treatment. If failed, radiation therapy, or gamma knife radiation treatment may be helpful.
Hormone replacement therapy: This is needed to replace hormones that are no longer made by organs under the control of the pituitary gland, including corticosteroids, growth hormone, sex hormones and thyroid hormone. LH and FSH are used in infertile women.

At present, there is no preventable measure for hypopituitarism.

The cause of hypopituitarism: Prognosis of hypopituitarism resulting from tumor is worse than other causes.
The reaction of hormone replacement therapy.