Pituitary tumors

The pituitary gland is the most complex endocrine gland in the human body. It controls the secretion of most of the body's hormones. In addition to directly controlling human activities, those hormones also affect other endocrine glands to control the human body. This location is also prone to lesions. Pituitary tumors are a relatively common type of tumor. This disease can affect the secretion of several hormones, causing disruptions in multiple functions of the human body. Below, I will introduce you to pituitary tumors in detail.

Introduction

The pituitary gland is located in the sella turcica, which is equivalent to the center of the head. It is a very small gland with a diameter of only 1 cm and a weight of about 0.5 to 1 gram, but it is the master of controlling hormones in the human body. It is simply divided into two lobes, the anterior lobe can secrete: 1. Growth hormone 2. Adrenocorticotropic hormone 3. Thyroid stimulating hormone 4. Prolactin 5. Follicle stimulating hormone 6. Luteinizing hormone; while the posterior lobe secretes two hormones: 1. Antidiuretic hormone 2. Oxytocin.

Pituitary adenoma refers to all tumors occurring on the pituitary gland. The cause of occurrence is unknown and the most common age of onset is adults between 20 and 40 years old.

Clinical symptoms

Clinical symptoms are mainly caused by the compression of surrounding tissues by the growth of the tumor or by abnormal hormone secretion, mostly headaches, visual impairment and endocrine dysfunction. The most common endocrine dysfunctions are the following:

Excessive secretion of growth hormone: if it occurs before puberty, it causes gigantism; if it occurs after puberty, it causes acromegaly;

Excessive secretion of prolactin: in women, it may cause amenorrhea, irregular menstruation or milk leakage; in men, it may cause decreased libido or gynecomastia;

Excessive adrenocorticotropic hormone: causes Cushing's syndrome, with abnormal obesity in the face, neck, shoulders and abdomen;

Excessive secretion of thyroid-stimulating hormone: causes overactivity of the thyroid gland, resulting in symptoms such as emotional tension, insomnia, palpitations, and hand tremors.