Pituitary Gland Diseases : Symptoms and Treatment
What is the pituitary gland?
The pituitary gland is part of the endocrine system in the human body. It is located at the base of the brain and includes two lobes: an anterior lobe responsible for producing hormones, and another posterior lobe that releases hormones produced by neurons within the hypothalamus. It also affects weight, growth, And blood pressure, and a lot of the various activities that the body performs.
Pituitary hormones
Gland hormones are among the most important hormones that are secreted in the body, and we can identify them through the following:
Frontal lobe hormones
There is a group of hormones that are secreted from the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland, and they are as follows:
- Prolactin: It works to stimulate milk production after childbirth and affects the level of sex hormones in women in the ovaries and in men in the testicles.
- Growth hormone: In childhood, it helps the body grow properly, and in adulthood, it maintains bone and muscle mass.
- Thyroid stimulating hormone: It stimulates the thyroid gland to produce its hormones, stimulates the nervous system, regulates metabolism, and also balances energy in the body.
- Adrenal cortex stimulating hormone: It helps to secrete the hormone cortisol, which maintains sugar levels and blood pressure in the body, and produces larger quantities when exposed to disease or injury.
- Luteinizing hormone: It stimulates testosterone for men, and stimulates the release of eggs for women.
- Follicle stimulating hormone: It stimulates sperm production for men, and stimulates the ovaries to produce estrogen for women.
Posterior lobe hormones
There is a group of hormones located in the posterior lobe, including the following:
- Anti-diuretic hormones: They regulate the process of water balance within the human body and maintain its value.
- Oxytocin: It helps the flow of milk in the breasts for breastfeeding women.
Pituitary symptoms
There are some symptoms that a person may feel and are evidence of problems or deficiencies in the performance of their functions, or the existence of problems in the secretion of important hormones through which the body works, and the symptoms differ according to what the person suffers from problems with, and these symptoms are as follows:
- Vision problems.
- The feeling of loss of appetite.
- Unexplained weight loss.
- Bleeding
- Dryness, especially in eyes that are sensitive to light.
- Pain in the legs and upper arms.
- Developmental problems for children, cognitive impairment, and vision loss.
- Feeling stressed and anxious.
Pituitary symptoms in women
There are a group of symptoms that women suffer from when they have problems with them, and these symptoms differ from one case to another, and these symptoms are as follows:
- Hypertension.
- Headache.
- Unexplained weight gain.
- General weakness in the body.
- Sleep disturbances.
- Excessive hair growth.
- Changes in mental status, such as mood swings or depression.
- Reproductive problems such as irregular menstruation or infertility.
Symptoms of hyperthyroidism
A person may suffer from hyperactivity of the gland, which causes an increase in the hormones secreted by the gland, and in that case results in a group of mild symptoms related to growth, metabolism, and weight. If you suffer from this disease, you can face these symptoms, which are as follows:
- sweating
- Occurrence of double vision.
- Lack of sexual desire in men and women.
- Feeling weak in the muscles.
- Weakness of the body's energy.
Pituitary tumors
Pituitary tumors are among the rare diseases that many people do not suffer from, and their symptoms are very rare, they are considered one of the serious conditions that have an effect on the growth process of the gland.
This results in a group of symptoms that are represented in the occurrence of vision problems, a feeling of vomiting, headache, and constant nausea, and when a tumor in this gland is difficult to diagnose, and when exposed to any of these symptoms, a doctor should be visited quickly.
There are some cases in which the tumor ruptures and results in bleeding, and this condition is called pituitary apoplexy.
The resulting symptoms are also life-threatening. When exposed to blood loss, the person suffers from shock or death, so whoever suffers from tumors in this gland must follow up with the doctor twice if the condition is stable.
Pituitary gland treatment
There is more than one method that can be used to treat the symptoms of the pituitary gland, and the method is chosen according to the diagnosis of the condition by the attending physician. Treatment methods include the following:
- Surgery
The choice of the surgical method is the most common option used in the treatment of tumors of this gland that are located in the area of the sella, or adenoma.
Doctors work to remove the infected gland from all blood vessels, and they may remove only part of the affected gland, depending on the nature of the condition.
- Hormone replacement therapy
The gland may suffer from a deficiency in the performance of its functions of secreting hormones, which needs to be compensated for by giving the patient-doctor some types of treatment that helps to secrete these hormones, and they are called alternative hormones.
It is determined after knowing the level of the hormone in the blood, and based on the result, the compensatory hormone is given, and blood tests are done regularly to follow up on the side effects, in addition to examining the thyroid gland because these alternative hormones may affect it, and in the event that it is exposed to deficiency, you can take Etherex 150 mg or Ethyrox 50 mg.
- Radiotherapy
It is the method that is used to get rid of cancerous tumors that are present in the gland, and through which high radiation is used to kill cancer cells.
And when this method is implemented on the diseased condition, it is required to wear a metal or plastic mask on the face for a week or two during the treatment period, in order for the radiation to reach the affected place and not cause any damage to healthy tissues.
In the end, you can go to If you suffer from problems in the pituitary gland when exposed to any of the previous symptoms so that you can treat them, and you will find all the replacement hormone treatments available at Spirit Pharmacy in Kuwait.