Treating pituitary diseases in Mainz

Well hidden in the so-called sella turcica, in the Turkish saddle, lies the pituitary gland – in the centre of the brain. This small gland performs important control functions for the body. Weighing only about one gram and no bigger than a cherry, it is also very important for the human metabolism and hormone metabolism.

The posterior lobe of the pituitary gland, for example, controls thirst and the amount we drink. Growth, milk flow, stress, sex hormones and hormones that regulate the thyroid gland are produced here. It is therefore no wonder that diseases affecting this crucial control centre of important bodily functions can have a considerable impact.

Endocrinologist: How do symptoms related to diseases of the pituitary gland manifest themselves?

If the pituitary gland is impaired in its function, for example by a tumor, this is shown by a change in hormone production or hormone secretion, so that too many or too few hormones are produced as a result.

Diseases caused by too little hormone production include benign or malignant tumors, inflammation of the brain or meninges, accidents or operations. If too little of the hormone ADH is produced, central diabetes insipidus can develop, in which patients develop an excessive feeling of thirst and excrete up to 20 liters of urine daily.

Diagnosis of diseases of the pituitary gland is the task of the endocrinologist from Mainz

How can diseases of the pituitary gland be diagnosed? Various diagnostic procedures help the endocrinologist to get to the root of the problem. It is helpful for the specialist to question the patient and carry out hormone diagnostics, in which the concentration of certain hormones in the blood and urine is checked. Endocrinological functional diagnostics of individual sub-functions of the pituitary gland may also be necessary. The values of the hormones cortisol or ACTH, for example, provide information in these examinations. Stimulation tests and imaging procedures can also be used, for example MRI, to rule out a tumour in the area of the hypothalamus or pituitary gland. Prof Dr Christian Wüster discusses which procedure is suitable with his patients in detail.

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