There are many causes of pituitary insufficiency. It can be idiopathic (i.e. the cause is unknown) or caused by

The pituitary gland is located directly below the brain © bilderzwerg | AdobeStock
Symptoms vary depending on which hormones are deficient.
Commonly described symptoms include
- Disorders of the menstrual cycle (increased or decreased bleeding or bleeding frequency),
- Disturbance of the development of primary sexual organs with possible absence of puberty,
- Disorders of growth (short stature),
- diabetes insipidus and
- disorders of fat metabolism.
Due to the various symptoms, the diagnosis must be made in several directions.
First of all, the patient is questioned in detail in order to record the symptoms and their duration as accurately as possible.
This is followed by laboratory diagnostics: basal hormone diagnostics and, in some cases, endocrinological functional diagnostics to check the individual sub-functions of the pituitary gland.
Pituitary insufficiency is often caused by tumors in the area of the hypothalamus or pituitary gland. Imaging diagnostics must therefore also be carried out.
Depending on the cause, pituitary insufficiency is treated with medication or surgery.
In drug therapy, the various hormones that the body does not produce or does not produce sufficiently are reduced.