Hypopituitarism overview
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief:
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Overview
Hypopituitarism is a medical term describing the deficiency (hypo) of one or more hormones of the pituitary gland. The hypothalamus regulates pituitary secretion by the production of releasing hormones and posterior pituitary hormones and hence its dysfunction can also lead to hypopituitarism.
In endocrinology, deficiency of one or multiple hormones of the anterior pituitary is generally referred to as hypopituitarism, while deficiency of the posterior lobe generally only leads to central diabetes insipidus. The deficiency of all anterior pituitary hormones is termed panhypopituitarism.
Historical Perspective
Discovery of the hypopituitarism returns back to 1914 when Dr. Simmonds described the disease for the first time. The diagnosis has been based on the patients' presentation only since then till 1950 when Dr. Yalow and Berson discovered the radioimmunoassay which helped in the measurement the hormonal levels. Through the 20th and 21st centuries, causes of the hypopituitarism were being described.
Classification
Hypopituitarism can be classified according to the site of the affected part of the pituitary gland either anterior or posterior. It can be also classified according to the etiology into primary or secondary. Based on the gland involvement, hypopituitarism can be classified into partial and panhypopituitarism.