Hypopituitarism

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Endocrine glands

Pituitary and TSH

Pituitary hormones

The pituitary gland

Pituitary insufficiency

• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Sensitivity to cold
• Decreased appetite  
• Weight loss  
• Abdominal pain  
• Low blood pressure
• Headache
• Visual disturbances
• Short stature (less than 5 feet) if onset is during a growth period
• Loss of armpit or pubic hair
• In women: cessation of menstrual periods, infertility, or failure to lactate
• In men: decreased sexual interest, loss of body or facial hair
• In children: slowed growth and sexual development

Note: Symptoms may develop slowly and may vary greatly, depending upon the severity of the disorder, the number of deficient hormones, and their target organs.

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

• Weight gain (unintentional)
• Joint stiffness
• Hoarseness or changing voice
• Hair loss
• Facial swelling

Diagnosis of hypopituitarism must confirm low hormone levels due to an abnormality of the pituitary gland. The diagnosis must also rule out disease of the organ affected by this hormone.

• Cranial CT scan , revealing a tumor or abnormal mass in the pituitary gland
• Cranial MRI , revealing a tumor or abnormal mass in the pituitary or hypothalamus
• Serum luteinizing hormone (LH), decreased or normal
• Serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), decreased or normal
• Serum testosterone level, decreased
• Serum estradiol (estrogen), decreased
• Serum cortisol , decreased
• Serum ACTH , decreased
• T4 (thyroid hormone), decreased
• Serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), decreased or normal
• Serum thyroid stimulating hormone response to thyroid-releasing hormone, decreased
• Serum growth hormone (GH), decreased
• Serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), decreased

In some cases, one of the hormones produced by the pituitary may be elevated in the blood stream if a patient has a pituitary tumor which is producing an excessive amount of that hormone. The tumor itself may be crushing the rest of the cells of the pituitary, leading to low levels of other hormones.

Review Date: 05/12/2006
Reviewed By: Robert Hurd, MD, Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.