TY - JOUR
T1 - Hypopituitarism following closed head injury
AU - Segal-Lieberman, Gabriella
AU - Karasik, Avraham
AU - Shimon, Ilan
PY - 2000
Y1 - 2000
N2 - We describe four young patients (age 19-34 years) with hypopituitarism following closed head injury. The diagnosis was made by demonstration of low basal pituitary hormone levels and dynamic tests showing low pituitary reserve. The time interval between the injury and diagnosis of hypopituitarism was between three weeks and two months demonstrating the difficulty and complexity of making this diagnosis. Three of our patients (all patients suffering from anterior pituitary hormone deficiency) had ACTH deficiency, a condition which may be life threatening if left undiagnosed; these patients also demonstrated central hypothyroidism. Hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism occurred in three of the patients and was treated with hormonal replacement. Diabetes insipidus was the only insult in one of our patients, accompanied other hormonal deficits in two, and did not appear at all in another patient. Information about skull damage was available for three of the patients, and included skull base and facial bone fractures, probably reflecting the extent of injury necessary to cause hypopituitarism. All patients regained normal lives with adequate hormonal replacement therapy.
AB - We describe four young patients (age 19-34 years) with hypopituitarism following closed head injury. The diagnosis was made by demonstration of low basal pituitary hormone levels and dynamic tests showing low pituitary reserve. The time interval between the injury and diagnosis of hypopituitarism was between three weeks and two months demonstrating the difficulty and complexity of making this diagnosis. Three of our patients (all patients suffering from anterior pituitary hormone deficiency) had ACTH deficiency, a condition which may be life threatening if left undiagnosed; these patients also demonstrated central hypothyroidism. Hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism occurred in three of the patients and was treated with hormonal replacement. Diabetes insipidus was the only insult in one of our patients, accompanied other hormonal deficits in two, and did not appear at all in another patient. Information about skull damage was available for three of the patients, and included skull base and facial bone fractures, probably reflecting the extent of injury necessary to cause hypopituitarism. All patients regained normal lives with adequate hormonal replacement therapy.
KW - Diabetes insipidus
KW - Head injury
KW - Head trauma
KW - Hypopituitarism
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0034433498&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1023/A:1011407910913
DO - 10.1023/A:1011407910913
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C2 - 11383483
AN - SCOPUS:0034433498
SN - 1386-341X
VL - 3
SP - 181
EP - 184
JO - Pituitary
JF - Pituitary
IS - 3
ER -