(^340) Medical-Surgical Nursing Demystified
- The need for intermittent lab work to monitor the thyroid.
- Visits to the primary care practitioner to monitor size of thyroid gland.
Hypopituitarism
WHAT WENT WRONG?
Hypopituitarism results when the pituitary gland is unable to secrete a normal
amount of pituitary hormones. Primary causes are pituitary tumors, inadequate blood
supply to the pituitary gland, infection, radiation therapy, or surgical removal of a
portion of the pituitary gland. Secondary causes affect the hypothalamus, which
regulates the pituitary gland.PROGNOSIS
Patients require life-long treatment and can expect a normal life span.HALLMARK SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
- Fatigue caused by a decreased production of ACTH
- Lethargy and diminished cognition caused by a decreased production of
TSH - Sensitivity to cold due to low TSH, which stimulates thyroid hormone
- Decreased appetite due to TSH deficiency
- Infertility due to luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone
(FSH) production - Short stature due to diminished secretion of growth hormone
- Infertility, amenorrhea caused by decreased production of FSH and LH
INTERPRETING TEST RESULTS
- Decreased ACTH usually due to a lesion of the pituitary.
- TSH deficiency due to a mass, trauma, surgery, or idiopathic.
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