A Clinical Study on Hypopitutiarism: Significance of Combined Pituitary Stimulation Test / 대한내분비학회지

ABSTRACT

Background: Hypopituitarism can be caused by various diseases. Its clinical manifestations vary, depending on the extent and severity of the pituitary hormone deficiency. And some patients may initially present with SIADH-like features. Combined pituitary stimulation test has been used for the diagnosis of hypopituitarism and subsequent hormone replacement therapy. However, the test is laborious, expensive and uncomfortable to the patients, So we performed this study to know whether combined pituitary stimulation test can be replaced with clinical features and simple basal hormone concentrations. Methods: Fifty-four patients who were diagnosed as hypopituitarism by combined pituitary stimulation test were included in this study. Clinical features and basal hormone data were compared with the results of combined pituitary stimulation test for the evaluation of pituitary-gonadal, pituitary-thyroid, and pituitary-adrenal axes, using X2 test. Results: 1) In pituitary-gonadal axis, the evaluation of clinical features and basal gonad hormone concentrations were significantly consistent with stimulation test(p<0.05), 2) In pituitary-thyroid axis, the evaluation of basal thyroid hormone concentrations were more helpful than stimulation test though results of the two tests were not consistent. 3) In pituitary-adrenal axis, all patients whose basal cortisol concentrations were low showed inadequate responses to stimulation test. However, stimulation test revealed adrenal insufficiency in some patients with normal basal cortisol concentrations. 4) 9 patients who presented with SIADH-like features were older than the others and had all corticotropin deficiency. Conclusion: In patients with suspected hypopituitarism, the evaluation of clinical features and basal hormone concentrations can be sufficient for the diagnosis of hypopituitarism and hormone replacement therapy. However, stimulation test is necessary to investigate adrenal function in patients with normal basal cortisol concentrations. And hypopituitarism should be considered in old patients who present with SIADH-like features.