Pituitary disorders like acromegaly and prolactinoma can trigger issues such as weight gain, low libido, vision changes, and depression, to name a few. At Capital Endocrine & Diabetes, in Cedar Park, Texas, compassionate endocrinologist Venkatesh Segu, MD, FACE, ECNU, and the team of pituitary disorder experts offer diagnosis and treatment to help you live a normal life. Book an appointment by calling our office.
The pituitary gland is a part of your endocrine system. The pea-sized organ, located at the bottom of your brain, is often called the master gland because it creates some vital hormones while also controlling other glands, including your thyroid and adrenal glands.
Your pituitary gland plays a role in stimulating growth, managing stress, regulating metabolism, sex hormone production in men, ovulation in women, and many other things.
Because the multitasking pituitary gland serves so many functions, pituitary gland disorders can cause some very serious health problems.
Pituitary disorders happen when your pituitary gland produces either excessive or inadequate amounts of a hormone, including adrenocorticotropic, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing, growth hormone, prolactin, thyroid-stimulating, oxytocin, or antidiuretic hormone.
Most pituitary disorders occur when you develop a noncancerous tumor on the gland. The two main types of tumors are secretory tumors, which impact hormone creation, or non-secretory tumors, which don't cause hormone problems but do cause issues like headaches or vision loss. Cancerous tumors of the pituitary gland are very rare.
Some of the main pituitary disorders include:
This is just a short list of the different pituitary disorders. The group of disorders can affect the body in many different ways because they can affect so many hormones.
The particular disorder, the hormones involved, tumor position, and size of the tumor can all contribute to which symptoms you experience. But, symptoms common in many pituitary disorders include:
These symptoms can be the same or very similar to those of other conditions.
Pituitary disorders can also lead to secondary diabetes and other complications, so it's very important to see the Capital Endocrine & Diabetes team for an accurate diagnosis and personalized treatment plan.
The Capital Endocrine & Diabetes team may prescribe hormone therapy, medication to block hormone overproduction, radiation therapy, or surgical referral to remove the tumor.
Pituitary disorder treatment can restore your quality of life, so don't delay it. Call the Capital Endocrine & Diabetes office to book an appointment.
