Pituitary abnormalities in children following traumatic brain injury

Following traumatic brain injury, hypopituitarism has been observed to develop in 11-69% of adults due to vascular and mechanical injury of the hypothalamus and pituitary. Khadr and colleagues sought to determine whether similar post-traumatic pituitary dysfunction is seen in children, using a retrospective study of 33 patients, 1-8 years postinjury. They assessed hormone concentrations and performed gonadotrophin-releasing hormone, insulin tolerance and glucose tests. Only minor pituitary hormone abnormalities were observed in 39% of subjects, none of which were clinically significant. Khadr et al. (2010) Clinical Endocrinology 73 637–644.

Read full article at: DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.2010.03857.x.