Enlarged pituitary gland

The functioning of the human body greatly depends on the hormones that are secreted by the pituitary gland. The secretion of these hormones may be impaired if the pituitary glands become enlarged. Many problems may be caused by this effect.

The gland we are talking about is located at the base of the brain and it is located in sella turcica, which is a small bony cavity. Many other glands located in the endocrine system are stimulated by the tropic hormone that is secreted by the pituitary gland.

We have mentioned that the pituitary gland is very important due to the secretion of many crucial hormones, because they are responsible for the growth, regulation of blood pressure and body temperature, regulation of thyroid gland functioning, and many others.

This is why, if this gland is impaired, many body functions are impaired also. There are many problems that are caused by the enlargement of the pituitary gland, among which are pituitary gland cancer, Cushing’s syndrome, and many other disorders.

Symptoms

Sometimes hormone production is not impaired by the enlargement of the pituitary gland. But in the cases when it is, it causes a sense of smell troubles, drooping eyelids, double vision, vomiting, nausea, lethargy, and headaches. The optic nerve becomes compressed when the gland enlarges, so vision problems are very common with this condition.

It can also cause the gland to underproduce or overproduce some hormones. Loss of vision is another possible symptom of the pituitary gland enlargement condition.

Causes

The gland tumor is mostly associated with the enlargement we are talking about in this text, but internal bleeding to the gland or some other problem may also be the cause of the problem. Sarcoidosis disease is one of the causes which is known to produce pituitary gland enlargement.

The problem with the pituitary gland can create problems for the thyroid glands as well, so it is best to visit the doctor as soon as the symptoms appear.

Treatment

In order to receive proper treatment, the problem must be diagnosed. Only when the exact cause is found, proper treatment may be conducted. There are tests that can detect the potential problem and some of them are MRI and CT scans.

The treatment of the enlargement may suggest surgery or radiation therapy if the cause is the tumor. If some ailment such as tuberculosis, for example, is the cause, medications are prescribed. The underproduction and overproduction can be treated with hormone replacement therapy.

Pituitary hyperplasia (PH) occurs in heterogeneous settings and remains under-recognised. Increased awareness of this condition and its natural history should circumvent unnecessary trans-sphenoidal surgery.

Normal pituitary dimensions are influenced by age and gender with the greatest pituitary heights seen in young adults and perimenopausal women.
Pituitary enlargement may be seen in the settings of pregnancy, end-organ insufficiency with loss of negative feedback, and excess trophic hormone from the hypothalamus or neuroendocrine tumours.
PH may be caused or exacerbated by medications including oestrogen, GNRH analogues and antipsychotics.
Management involves identification of cases of idiopathic PH suitable for simple surveillance and reversal of pathological or iatrogenic causes where they exist.
Surgery should be avoided in PH as it rarely progresses.

✓ Fact confirmed: Pituitary hyperplasia: case series and literature review of an under-recognised and heterogeneous condition Sunita M. C. De Sousa, Peter Earls, and Ann I. McCormack; 2015 Jun 1.