Can the pituitary gland be damaged?

Can the pituitary gland be damaged?

When the blood vessels inside the pituitary stalk are damaged, blood flow to portions of the pituitary is compromised. This can cause those portions to become necrotic and stop producing necessary hormones. The result for the patient is a hormonal deficiency and a number of debilitating symptoms.

What destroys the pituitary gland?

Sheehan’s syndrome is caused by severe blood loss or extremely low blood pressure during or after childbirth. These factors can be particularly damaging to the pituitary gland, which enlarges during pregnancy, destroying hormone-producing tissue so that the gland can’t function normally.

What are the effects of a damaged pituitary gland?

Change hormone production, leading to symptoms such as weight gain, stunted or excessive growth, high blood pressure, low sex drive or mood changes. Press against the pituitary gland, optic nerves or brain tissue, causing vision problems or headaches.

What causes pituitary apoplexy?

Apoplexy means bleeding into an organ or loss of blood flow to an organ. Pituitary apoplexy is commonly caused by bleeding inside a noncancerous (benign) tumor of the pituitary. These tumors are very common and are often not diagnosed. The pituitary is damaged when the tumor suddenly enlarges.

How can you tell if your pituitary gland is damaged?

What are pituitary symptoms?

• Headaches.
• Vision problems.
• Unexplained weight gain.
• Loss of libido.
• Feeling dizzy and nauseous.
• Pale complexion.
• Muscle wasting.
• Coarsening of facial features.

Can a damaged pituitary gland be fixed?

There is no single course of treatment because this condition may affect a number of hormones. In general, the goal of treatment is to bring all your hormone levels back to normal. This may involve taking medications to replace the hormones your pituitary gland is not producing properly.

What happens if pituitary gland is not functioning properly?

If your pituitary gland doesn’t function properly, your skin, brain, reproductive organs, vision, mood, energy, growth and more could all be negatively affected. Your body depends on the hormones it produces and releases.

Can you survive without a pituitary gland?

The pituitary gland is called the master gland of the endocrine system. This is because it controls many other hormone glands in the body. According to The Pituitary Foundation, without it, the body wouldn’t reproduce, wouldn’t grow properly and many other bodily functions just wouldn’t function.

What does a pituitary apoplexy feel like?

The word apoplexy is defined as a sudden neurologic impairment, usually due to a vascular process. Pituitary apoplexy is characterized by a sudden onset of headache, visual symptoms, altered mental status, and hormonal dysfunction due to acute hemorrhage or infarction of a pituitary gland.

When should you suspect pituitary apoplexy?

Pituitary apoplexy will be considered in all patients who present with an acute severe headache, regardless of whether or not they are exhibiting other symptoms and particularly if they have been previously diagnosed with a pituitary tumour.

What happens if your pituitary gland fails?

For example, if the pituitary gland does not produce enough growth hormone in a child, they may have a permanently short stature. If it doesn’t produce enough follicle-stimulating hormone or luteinizing hormone, it might cause problems with sexual function, menstruation, and fertility.