The key difference between hypopituitarism and hyperpituitarism is that hypopituitarism is a medical condition that results in the failure of pituitary hormone production, while hyperpituitarism is a medical condition that results in excess of pituitary hormone production.
Pituitary conditions normally affect sexual development, thyroid function, growth, pigmentation of the skin, and adrenal function. Hypopituitarism and hyperpituitarism are two conditions associated with pituitary gland dysfunction.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Hypopituitarism
3. What is Hyperpituitarism
4. Similarities – Hypopituitarism and Hyperpituitarism
5. Hypopituitarism vs Hyperpituitarism in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Hypopituitarism vs Hyperpituitarism
What is Hypopituitarism?
Hypopituitarism is a rare condition with a deficiency of one or multiple hormones, usually made by pituitary glands. These pituitary-made hormones are in charge of important functions in the human body, like metabolism, growth and development, and reproduction. Generally, the hypothalamus communicates with the pituitary gland and tells pituitary lobes to release its hormones. Therefore, hypopituitarism can be a result of damage to the pituitary lobes or hypothalamus. There are different symptoms of this condition, such as fatigue, weakness, changes in the composition of body fat, social isolation, hot flashes, irregular periods, loss of pubic hair, inability to produce milk for breastfeeding, erectile dysfunction, decreased facial body hair, changes in the mood, weight gain, dry skin, constipation, sensitivity to colds, low blood pressure, frequent infections, nausea, vomiting, confusion, excessive urination, extreme thirst, and imbalances in electrolytes. This condition can be caused by pituitary adenomas, brain tumors, lymphocytic hypophysitis, and pituitary or hypothalamus sarcoidosis.
Moreover, hypopituitarism can be diagnosed through hormone level blood tests, hormone stimulation tests, insulin tolerance tests, osmolality tests for blood and urine, and imaging tests like MRI or CT scan. Furthermore, treatment options for hypopituitarism may include hormone replacement therapy, surgery, and radiation therapy.
What is Hyperpituitarism?
Hyperpituitarism is a medical condition that occurs due to the excess of pituitary hormone production. This condition is also known as an overactive pituitary gland. Hyperpituitarism is caused by hereditary tumors that occur due to conditions such as multiple endocrine neoplasia syndromes. Acquired tumors in the pituitary may also cause this condition. The symptoms of this condition may include accumulation of fat in the body, excessive facial hair, pink or purplish stretch marks in the belly, tendencies to bruises, fragile bones, enlarged or swollen glands, changes in the facial structures, irregular periods, erectile dysfunction, nervousness, rapid or irregular heartbeat, weight loss, brain fog, cold tolerance, constipation, dry, coarse hair or skin, and decreased sexual interest.
Moreover, hyperpituitarism can be diagnosed through blood tests, oral glucose tolerance tests, stimulation tests, and various forms of brain imaging scans (brain CT scans). Furthermore, hyperpituitarism can be treated through medications to regulate hormone levels (medication to reduce prolactin level, drugs for acromegaly and dopamine agonist therapy medications), surgeries (transsphenoidal adenomectomy and craniotomy), and radiation therapy (conventional and stereotactic radiation therapy).
What are the Similarities Between Hypopituitarism and Hyperpituitarism?
- Hypopituitarism and hyperpituitarism are two conditions associated with pituitary gland dysfunction.
- In both conditions, the levels of pituitary hormones deviate from the normal levels.
- Both conditions can occur due to underlying conditions and lead to complications.
- Both conditions can be diagnosed through physical examination and blood tests.
- They are treated through specific medications and respective surgeries.
What is the Difference Between Hypopituitarism and Hyperpituitarism?
Hypopituitarism is a medical condition that results in the failure of pituitary hormone production, while hyperpituitarism is a medical condition that results in excess of pituitary hormone production. Thus, this is the key difference between hypopituitarism and hyperpituitarism. Furthermore, hypopituitarism can be caused by pituitary adenomas, brain tumors, lymphocytic hypophysitis, and pituitary or hypothalamus sarcoidosis. On the other hand, hyperpituitarism can be caused by hereditary or acquired tumors in the pituitary gland.
The below infographic presents the differences between hypopituitarism and hyperpituitarism in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Hypopituitarism vs Hyperpituitarism
Hypopituitarism and hyperpituitarism are two conditions associated with pituitary gland dysfunction. Both conditions can occur due to underlying conditions. However, hypopituitarism occurs as a result of the failure of pituitary hormone production, while hyperpituitarism occurs as a result of the excess of pituitary hormone production. So, this summarizes the difference between hypopituitarism and hyperpituitarism.
Reference:
1. “Hypopituitarism.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
2. “Hyperpituitarism (Overactive Pituitary Gland): Symptoms & Causes.” Cleveland Clinic.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Brain Anatomy (Sagittal)” By BruceBlaus – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma (1)” By KGH assumed – No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims). (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia