Hypopituitarism

One of the most important hemadens is the hypophysis. At full or partial loss of functions by its front share the disease called by a hypopituitarism develops. Its clinical manifestations depend on what hormones began to be produced by a front share of a hypophysis in insufficient quantity. Hypopituitarism symptoms usually develop during rather long time, but the disease can begin occasionally sharply and suddenly.

Hypopituitarism reasons:

• Craniocereberal injuries;
• The postponed inflammatory diseases of a brain (meningitis, encephalitis);
• Syphilis, sarcoidosis, tuberculosis;
• Vascular disorders (massive patrimonial bleedings, hemorrhages in hypophysis tissues, arteritis, aneurisms);
• Brain tumors.

Hypopituitarism: symptoms

At insufficiency of function of a front share of a hypophysis there is a deficit of one or all hormones synthesized by it.

At deficit of gonadotrophins women have an amenorrhea (the lack of periods which is not connected with pregnancy or a climax), infertility, dryness of a vagina is noted, up to development of symptoms of an atrophic vaginitis. In especially hard cases secondary sexual characteristics are lost.

Deficit of gonadotrophins at men causes the following symptoms of a hypopituitarism: atrophy of testicles, impotence, decrease in production of sperm, infertility, loss of secondary sexual characteristics.

Also development of a syndrome of Kallman – inability to distinguish smells, color-blindness and not fusion of a hard palate and/or lip is explained by a lack of development of gonadotrophins.

At adults deficit of a growth hormone usually does not lead to emergence of any clinical symptoms of a hypopituitarism. And here the lack of this hormone at children causes a growth inhibition, up to dwarfism.

Deficit of thyritropic hormone leads to depression of function of a thyroid gland and development of a hypothyroidism. It is shown by such symptoms of a hypopituitarism as intolerance of cold, block, locks, increase in body weight, a xeroderma.

Rather seldom the isolated insufficiency of the adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulating activity of adrenal glands meets. In this case patients complain of increased fatigue, the expressed general weakness, low arterial pressure. They quite often have a hypoglycemia (decrease in concentration of glucose in blood serum). The organism of these patients hardly adapts to stressful situations including to infections, injuries, operative measures.

Extremely seldom there is an isolated insufficiency of prolactin. It is possible to explain with deficit of this hormone absence at some women in a puerperal period of breast milk.

At massive bleeding in labor or an early puerperal period with development of hemorrhagic shock in women Shikhan's syndrome arising because of death of cells of a front share of a hypophysis as a result of disturbance of their blood supply can develop. In this case symptoms of a hypopituitarism will be lack of breast milk, increased fatigue, the expressed general weakness, a hair loss in axillary hollows and on a pubis.

Diagnosis of a hypopituitarism

At emergence of symptoms of a hypopituitarism it is necessary to make full laboratory and tool inspection of the patient. For specification of structure of a hypophysis carry out a magnetic resonance or computer tomography. By means of an angiography make a research of the blood vessels feeding a hypophysis. In addition, determine the content in blood of certain hormones. In recent years at suspicion doctors even more often appoint to a hypopituitarism to the patients the positron emission tomography allowing to obtain detailed data on a hypophysis structure, its sizes and partially about functioning of this hemaden.

Treatment of a hypopituitarism

If the tumor is the reason of development of a hypopituitarism, then performing surgical treatment and/or radiation therapy is necessary.

All patient suffering from a hypopituitarism surely appoints the lifelong replacement hormonal therapy allowing to recover normal hormonal balance in an organism. For its carrying out use men's and female sex hormones, Thyreoidinum, cortisol. At children with the growth inhibition which arose in the investigation of a hypopituitarism somatotropic hormone (growth hormone) is used. In addition by it appoint also other medicines necessary for normal development of bones of a skeleton and muscular system.

Correctly picked up replacement hormonal therapy allows to achieve elimination of all symptoms of a hypopituitarism, and also to recover normal activity of all internals.