Pituitary Disorders

The most common problem with the pituitary is the development of a tumor. While most are benign, they can produce excessive amounts of a specific pituitary hormone, crowd out the production of other hormones, and compress surrounding tissues. Blood vessels and the optic nerves are in close proximity to the pituitary gland. Pressure from a tumor can cause headaches, visual disturbances, loss of vision, fatigue, weakness, and seizures, as well as a host of signs and symptoms related to diminished hormone production.

Other pituitary disorders can arise from inherited genetic mutations, be congenital, be due to trauma or an impaired blood supply, due to surgical or radiation treatment of a previous pituitary disorder, due to a malignant tumor (rare), or be due to causes that are not yet well understood. The hormone deficiencies and excesses from these disorders can produce a variety of symptoms depending on which hormones and target tissues are affected.

When the hypothalamus is dysfunctional, pituitary hormone production is often affected. Excess or deficient hormone production by the pituitary may also occur if the glands “downstream” from it are dysfunctional. For example, normally the hypothalamus detects thyroid hormone deficiency in the blood and stimulates the pituitary to produce TSH. TSH in turn stimulates thyroid hormone production by the thyroid gland. If the thyroid gland is dysfunctional and cannot produce adequate amounts, then blood thyroid hormone levels will remain below normal even though the hypothalamus and pituitary are promoting production. The result is excessive amounts of TSH and deficient thyroid hormone concentrations.

Examples of Common Pituitary Disorders

• Pituitary Tumors: may be hormone-secreting or non-secreting; most are benign; may cause visual disturbances and headaches as they grow and compress surrounding tissues; often results in excessive amounts of one pituitary hormone and decreases in others.
• Growth Hormone Deficiency: from a variety of causes; in children it causes delayed growth and short stature; in adults it can lead to muscular weakness, fatigue, decreased bone mass, and obesity.
• Hypopituitarism: from a variety of causes including tumors, trauma, decreased pituitary blood supply, infection, sarcoidosis, an autoimmune process, radiation, surgical removal of the pituitary, or a side effect of pituitary surgery; results in a general decrease in pituitary hormone production.
• Hyperprolactinemia: a pituitary tumor that secretes prolactin or a tumor that prevents the regulation of prolactin production; can cause galactorrhea and amenorrhea, and in men decreased sex drive and impotence.
• Empty Sella Syndrome: the sella is the structure that surrounds the pituitary gland; it may increase in size and put pressure on the pituitary; rarely, the pituitary gland shrinks in response and hormone production decreases, leading to hypopituitarism.

Examples of Rare Pituitary Disorders

• Acromegaly and Gigantism: excess growth hormone production, usually due to a tumor; when it occurs in childhood, it causes gigantism associated with excessive bone growth and abnormally tall stature; in adults, it causes acromegaly, with increases in bone thickness, coarsened facial features, enlarged hands and feet, carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches, sweating, sleep apnea, fatigue, and hypertension.
• Cushing’s Disease: Cushing’s syndrome symptoms caused by a pituitary tumor that produces excess ACTH and leads to excess exposure to the adrenal gland hormone cortisol; symptoms vary but include: upper body obesity, a rounded face, thin skin, pink streaks on the abdomen, muscular weakness, osteoporosis, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure.
• Diabetes Insipidus: decreased production of ADH by the hypothalamus; patient’s kidneys don’t conserve water and concentrate urine; patient is thirsty and has frequent, dilute urination.
• Nelson’s Syndrome: may result when both adrenal glands are removed as part of the treatment for Cushing’s Disease; a pituitary tumor develops that produces ACTH and can cause darkening of the skin due to increased production of melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH).
• Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1 (MEN1): an inherited genetic mutation that increases the risk of developing tumors in the pituitary and in other endocrine glands.
• Kallman’s Syndrome: deficient release of GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone) leads to lack of FSH and LH production; causes delayed or absent puberty; associated with no sense of smell; occurs only in males.
• Pituitary Infarction: restricted blood supply to the pituitary gland; may cause gland tissue damage and lead to hypopituitarism.
• Sheehan’s Syndrome: the pituitary gland increases in size during pregnancy; can cause pituitary infarction when there is an acute drop in blood pressure.
• Craniopharyngioma: the most common tumor that develops close to the pituitary gland in children; benign but may put pressure on the pituitary, causing hypopituitarism, headaches, visual disturbances, and delayed growth.