Hypopituitarism Symptoms & Diagnosis

Symptoms

Symptoms often begin gradually. They may not be recognized for a while. Specific symptoms will depend on the type and level of hormone effected, for example:

• Growth hormone deficiency:
  • Poor overall growth
  • Short stature
  • Increased blood pressure
  • Central obesity
  • Muscle weakness
  • Small heart
• Thyroid-stimulating hormone deficiency:
  • Sensitivity to cold
  • Weight gain
  • Constipation
  • Hair that is brittle and coarse
  • Heart rate slowed
  • Dry skin
  • Muscle weakness or fatigue
• Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) deficiency:
  • Fatigue and weakness
  • Low blood pressure
  • Weight loss
  • Increase in skin pigmentation
  • Amenorrhea
• Follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone deficiency:
  • Infertility in men and women
  • Vaginal dryness
  • Loss of some gender-specific sexual characteristics (women may lose hair from their underarms, body, and pubic area)
  • Reduced libido
  • Amenorrhea
  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Muscle weakness
  • Small testes
  • Breast enlargement in men

Diagnosis

Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history. A physical exam will be done. Your doctor may refer you to an endocrinologist. This is a type of doctor that focuses on hormone disorders.

Tests to determine hypopituitarism include taking a blood sample to do the following:

• Measure the levels of hormones produced by the pituitary gland
• Measure the levels of hormones produced by target endocrine glands, which are influenced by the pituitary gland

Provocative tests of pituitary function may also be done such as:

• Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) test
• Arginine stimulation test
• L-dopa
• Clonidine stimulation test
• Insulin tolerance test
• Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test

Once the diagnosis is confirmed:

• Lateral skull x-ray imaging tests (eg, an MRI )—to identify problems such as abnormal tissue and growth or shrinkage of the pituitary gland