Severe malnutrition and panhypopituitarism

  1. Ana M. Godoy-Reyes 1
  2. Carla Martín-Abreu 1
  3. J. Fernando Armas-González 1
  4. Lourdes GonzálezNavarrete 1
  5. Victor Vera-Delgado 1
  6. Candelaria Martín-González 1
  7. María J. Sánchez-Pérez 1
  8. Emilio González-Reimers 1
  1. 1 Servicio de Medicina Interna. Hospital Universitario de Canarias. Facultad de Medicina. Universidad de La Laguna
Journal:
Majorensis: Revista Electrónica de Ciencia y Tecnología

ISSN: 1697-5529

Year of publication: 2019

Issue: 15

Pages: 9-13

Type: Article

More publications in: Majorensis: Revista Electrónica de Ciencia y Tecnología

Abstract

The effects of starvation on hormonal pituitary axis is controversial. In former observations on war prisoners performed eight decades ago, a clinical picture similar to Simmond’s cachexia was described. Nowadays, in developed countries, severe malnutrition is practically restricted to anorexia nervosa, degenerative neurological disturbances and, rarely, malabsorptive syndromes and terminal neoplastic disease. Especially in anorexia nervosa corticotropin levels are usually raised, and the behavior of the remaining hormones is erratic. On the other hand, several alcoholism may impair secretion of some pituitary hormones. We here present a case of an alcoholic patient with severe malnutrition secondary to chronic pancreatitis, who presented with severe depression of all the pituitary hormones, that recovered “spontaneously” only with pancreatic enzyme replacement and weight gain

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