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Previous Volume 330:1651-1662 June 9, 1994 Number 23 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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Hypopituitarism may be either partial or complete and may result from either pituitary or hypothalamic disease. Its clinical manifestations vary, depending on the extent and severity of the pituitary hormone deficiency. Thus, a patient may present in extremis with acute adrenal insufficiency or profound hypothyroidism, with symptoms indicating a pituitary mass lesion, or with nonspecific symptoms of fatigue and malaise.

Most of the hypothalamic-pituitary-target-organ axes are tightly coordinated systems in which hormonal signals from the hypothalamus stimulate or inhibit secretion of anterior pituitary hormones; these hormones, in turn, act on specific organs. These axes are frequently described as closed-loop or . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Causes of Hypopituitarism

Pituitary Adenoma

Pituitary Surgery

Pituitary Radiation Therapy

Pituitary Apoplexy

Less Common Causes of Pituitary Insufficiency

            Empty Sella Syndrome

            Head Trauma

            Infiltrative Disease

            Internal-Carotid-Artery Aneurysm

Clinical Features of Hypopituitarism

Endocrine and Imaging Studies

Endocrine Studies

            Corticotroph (Corticotropin) Deficiency

            Thyrotroph (Thyrotropin) Deficiency

            Gonadotroph (Luteinizing Hormone and FSH) Deficiency

            Somatotroph (Growth Hormone) Deficiency

            Lactotroph (Prolactin) Deficiency

Imaging Studies

Consequences of Untreated Hypopituitarism

Hormone-Replacement Therapy

Conclusions

Source Information

From the Department of Internal Medicine, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville, VA 22908, where reprint requests should be addressed to Dr. Vance at Box 511.

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