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Pituitary apoplexy causes

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Akshun Kalia M.B.B.S.[2]

Overview

Pituitary apoplexy is most commonly caused by bleeding into the pituitary gland from a benign tumor of the pituitary. When this bleeding occurs in a woman during or immediately after childbirth, it is called Sheehan syndrome. Other conditions causing pituitary apoplexy are coagulopathy, major surgery, hypertension, drugs such as dopamine receptor agonists, GnRH agonists, antiplatelets, and thrombolytic therapy.

Causes

Common causes

The most common cause of pituitary apoplexy is pituitary adenoma (a benign tumor of pituitary gland). Other common causes include:[1][2][3][4]

Less common causes

References

  1. Baruah, ManashP; Ranabir, Salam (2011). “Pituitary apoplexy”. Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism. 15 (7): 188. doi:10.4103/2230-8210.84862. ISSN 2230-8210.
  2. Cooper DM, Bazaral MG, Furlan AJ, Sevilla E, Ghattas MA, Sheeler LR, Little JR, Hahn JF, Sheldon WC, Loop FD (1986). “Pituitary apoplexy: a complication of cardiac surgery”. Ann. Thorac. Surg. 41 (5): 547–50. PMID 3486645.
  3. Rajasekaran S, Vanderpump M, Baldeweg S, Drake W, Reddy N, Lanyon M, Markey A, Plant G, Powell M, Sinha S, Wass J (2011). “UK guidelines for the management of pituitary apoplexy”. Clin. Endocrinol. (Oxf). 74 (1): 9–20. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2265.2010.03913.x. PMID 21044119.
  4. Goel A, Deogaonkar M, Desai K (1995). “Fatal postoperative ‘pituitary apoplexy’: its cause and management”. Br J Neurosurg. 9 (1): 37–40. PMID 7786424.

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