Hypopituitarism is a Common Neuro-Endocrine Disease: How Manage to Inform the Medical Community

Abstract

Evidence from several studies demonstrates that brain injuries are very often cause of hypopituitarism; actually the risk is much greater than previously suspected and it represents a very relevant clinical problem [1–10]. Nevertheless, Brain Injury-related hypopituitarism remains largely under-diagnosed, mostly due to lack of awareness among physicians who are most likely to see patients who may be suffering from it. It is therefore mandatory to spend efforts in order to extensively inform the medical community and, particularly those categories of physicians who take care of these patients either in the acute or in the chronic phase of the disease. Information of the problem is likely to trigger appropriate screening of patients at risk for an unrecognized hypopituitarism. Indeed, given the epidemiology of traumatic brain injury (approximately 91-332/100.000 inhabitants) and the high risk that multiple or total hypopituitarism follows head trauma (at least 10%), it is clear that, at present, thousands of undiagnosed hypopituitaric patients are living a low quality of life and probably impairing their life expectancy [9–14]. In agreement with the recommendations from recent consensus papers [11, 12], the following strategy is likely to be the most appropriate to increase awareness of the problem upon physicians belonging to the various disciplines involved in managing the care of patients who experienced Brain Injuries.