pituitary function and disease Flashcards
what do pituitary tumours tend to be?
common cause of pituitary disease
benign and slow growing
what would happen if you gave TRH to a patient with secondary hypothyroidism?
TRH stimulation test normal response - inc in TSH
In secondary hypothyroidism - TSH still low = low T3/T4
What would a high glucose concentration normally suppress?
OGTT (is a suppression test)
glucose usually suppresses GH release
Failure to suppress suggests GH tumour
What are 2 potential causes of hyperprolactinaemia?
prolactinoma
damage to pituitary stalk
why do you get loss of libido with high prolactin levels?
high prolactin inhibits GnRH –> loss of libido
what is the drug therapy for hyperprolactinaemia?
can inhibit secretion of prolactin and shrink the tumour
dopamine can inhibit prolactin
what is acromegaly and gigantism?
acromegaly - excessive growth hormone secretion in adulthood
excessive GH secretion in childhood leads to extremely tall stature
what are 2 drug therapies for acromegaly?
somatostatin analogues inhibit GH release
bromocriptine (dopamine receptor agonist) can also be used
what is Cushing’s syndrome? What is Cushing’s disease?
excessive glucocorticoid activity
cushing’s disease is having the specific cause of the tumour
how do you treat Cushing’s syndrome?
tumour removal (+ radiotherapy)
what’s hypopituitarism and pan-hypopituitarism?
deficiency of one or more pituitary hormones
pan-hypopituitarism = deficiency of all pituitary hormones
