Hypothalamic Pituitary Problems
Hypothalamic pituitary disorders or hypopituitarism is a rare disorder in which your pituitary gland fails to produce one or more hormones or doesn’t produce enough hormones.
The pituitary gland is basically a pea sized gland located at the base of your brain. Although it is in small size, the pituitary gland creates and releases a number of hormones that act on nearly every part of your body. This condition occurs when you have a short supply or deficiency of one or more of the pituitary hormones. These hormone deficiencies can actually affect a number of body’s routine functions such as growth, blood pressure or reproduction system. Symptoms generally depend on the hormone or hormones that an individual is missing.
In case you have this condition, you will probably need to take medication for the rest of your life. Medications help in controlling the symptoms and replacing the missing hormones.
Symptoms
The symptoms and signs of the hypothalamic-pituitary disorder usually develop gradually and get worse over time. These symptoms can be sometimes subtle and may be overlooked for months or even years. While for some people, signs and symptoms develop suddenly.
Causes
Hypothalamic pituitary disorders have a number of causes. In most of the cases, these disorders are caused by a tumour of the pituitary gland. In case pituitary tumour increases in size, it can compress and damage the pituitary tissue, interfering with hormone production.
