Causes of hypopituitarism

Question 1

What are common causes of hypopituitarism?

Answer 1

Non-functioning pituitary tumour (compression) - someone pressing it.

Pituitary apoplexy (sudden haemorrhage/infarct) - somehing breaking it.

Surgery or radiotherapy to pituitary - something cutting it.

Infiltrative diseases (e.g. sarcoidosis, haemochromatosis) - something starving it.

Sheehan’s syndrome (postpartum pituitary infarct)

Trauma (TBI or base of skull fracture)

Empty sella syndrome

Question 2

Q: What is empty sella syndrome?

Answer 2

A: A condition where the pituitary gland is compressed or absent in the sella turcica, often replaced by CSF on imaging.
It may be incidental or cause hypopituitarism.
🧠 = hostage in a cellar

Question 3

🧠 Order of Hormone Loss in Hypopituitarism - ladies, go to a partay!

Answer 3

🩵 LH/FSH (gonadotrophins)

Then:
🌱 GH
🔥 TSH
⚡ ACTH

Last to go:
🍼 Prolactin (because it’s under inhibitory control, so it can paradoxically increase)