The small lung of hypopituitarism.

Abstract

SUMMARY _ Patients with adult onset hypopituitarism were found to have reduced lung volumes, increased lung elastic recoil, normal airflows, and normal gas exchange. The reductions in functional residual capacity and residual volume tended to become more severe with increasing duration of disease. In 7 patients with disease for more than 5 years, mean values (± standard deviation) expressed as percent of predicted normal values were: functional residual capacity, 57.4 ± 6.4 per cent; residual volume, 62.6 ± 5.8 per cent; vital capacity, 87.1 ± 13.6 per cent; total lung capacity, 78.7 ± 9.8 per cent. The disproportionate decrease in functional residual capacity and residual volume may be explained in part by increased compliance of the chest wall at low lung volumes. The fact that none of the patients with panhypopituitarism were receiving growth hormone and that typical function­ al abnormalities were present in one patient with isolated growth hormone deficiency suggested that the physiologic abnormalities were most probably related to deficiency in growth hormone.