• Generalized condition caused by partial or total failure of pituitary gland's hormones: Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), growth hormone (GH), and prolactin.
• System(s) affected: Endocrine/Metabolic; GI; Musculoskeletal; Nervous; Reproductive; Skin/Exocrine
• Synonym(s): Pituitary cachexia; Hypopituitarism syndrome; Simmonds syndrome; Panhypopituitarism
• Shortages of ACTH, TSH, and antidiuretic hormone (ADH) can be life-threatening.

• Predominant age: Occurs in adults and children. In children it may cause short stature and pubertal delay.
• Predominant sex: Male = Female

Incidence
12–42 new cases per million per year (1)

Prevalence
300–455 per million (1)

• Trauma
• Pregnancy and delivery

Genetics
Syndromic and nonsyndromic; isolated and multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies attributed to single-gene defects

Prevention of head trauma

• Childhood:
  • Genetic disorders
  • Perinatal asphyxia
  • Developmental disorders/pituitary hypoplasia, aplasia
  • Craniopharyngioma, other tumors
  • Cranial irradiation
  • Head trauma
• Adult:
  • Pituitary tumors; most common etiology
  • Other intrasellar or extrasellar tumors: Meningiomas, gliomas, metastases, craniopharyngiomas, chordomas, ependymomas
  • Surgery on pituitary or adjacent structures
  • Cranial irradiation
  • Pituitary infarction, apoplexy
  • Lymphocytic hypophysitis
  • Postpartum hemorrhage with hypotension (Sheehan syndrome)
  • Vascular: Internal carotid artery aneurysm, subarachnoid hemorrhage
  • Head trauma (2)
  • Infection:
    • Abscess, hypophysitis, meningitis, encephalitis
    • Tuberculosis, pneumocystis, histoplasmosis, toxoplasmosis, aspergillosis, cytomegalovirus
  • Infiltrative conditions: Hemochromatosis, granulomatous disease, histiocytosis X
  • Hypothalamic disease (secondary hypopituitarism)
  • Autoimmune disease: Lymphocytic hypophysitis
  • Chronic debilitating disease, nonspecific
  • Other: Hemochromatosis, granulomatous diseases, histiocytosis
  • Empty sella

• Childhood hypopituitarism
• Sheehan syndrome
• Hypothyroidism
• Kallmann syndrome