• Question: If someone's pituitary gland stopped working, could they survive?

    Asked by ExtraCheekyNandos to Partha on 13 Jun 2015.
    • Photo: Partha Kar

      Partha Kar answered on 13 Jun 2015:

      In short, no. There are many hormones the pituitary glands control- and although each of them are important, the signals which it sends to the adrenal glands to secrete steroids is possibly the most important of them all.
      Without the steroids survival would be pretty tricky- and steroid in those scenarios become more like a survival medication!

Comments

  • Photo: Saffron

    Saffron commented on :

    There are rare cases of patients who develop benign tumors of the pituitary gland and if they become very large surgeons have to remove the tumours. If this is the case then patients need to take replacement hormones which include cortisol, aldosterone, thyroid hormones antidiuretic hormone, and growth hormone if a tumour has to be removed in a child who is still growing. And, of course, sex hormones

  • Photo: Laura

    Laura commented on :

    As Saffron said, surgery to the pituitary gland is sometimes needed. With surgery, there is the risk of damaging this amazing master gland, in which case the patient would have a major hormone deficiency and would need hormone replacement therapy. I’m sure they would be under strict supervision and monitoring by an Endocrinologist.