Pituitary adenoma


A benign tumor of the pituitary, the master gland that controls other glands and influences numerous body functions including growth. Although the tumor itself is not cancerous, it may affect pituitary function, and therefore may need to be removed.

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    Dwarfism caused by a lack of growth hormone, usually due to malfunction of the pituitary gland. Children with growth hormone deficiency may grow normally for the first two to three years of life but they then fall behind their peers in height. They are normally proportioned. This is a key point. Treatment is with human […]

  • Pituitary gigantism

    Excessive growth and too much height due to chronic overactivity of the pituitary gland which is located at the base of the brain. (Growth hormone is specifically made by the anterior pituitary gland.) In pituitary gigantism, there is secretion of too much growth hormone before the end of adolescence. People with pituitary gigantism can truly […]

  • Pituitary gland

    The main endocrine gland. It is a small structure in the head. It is called the master gland because it produces hormones that control other glands and many body functions including growth. The pituitary consists of the anterior and posterior pituitary. The anterior pituitary is the front portion of the pituitary. Hormones secreted by it […]

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    The front portion of the pituitary, a small gland in the head called the master gland. Hormones secreted by the anterior pituitary influence growth, sexual development, skin pigmentation, thyroid function, and adrenocortical function. These influences are exerted through the effects of pituitary hormones on other endocrine glands except for growth hormone which acts directly on […]

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    The back portion of the pituitary, a small gland in the head called the master gland. The posterior pituitary secretes the hormone oxytocin which increases uterine contractions and antidiuretic hormone (ADH) which increases reabsorption of water by the tubules of the kidney. Underproduction of ADH results in a disorder called diabetes insipidus characterized by inability […]


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