Understanding Pituitary Disorders
The pituitary glands are a group of two-layered fat-filled structures that lie deep within the cranial cavity
The pituitaries are responsible for producing and secreting hormones, which control various body functions, such as growth and metabolism.
The pituitaries's are located in two separate areas of the body: the brain and the spinal cord. The pituitaries's produce and secrete testosterone, a male hormone; and estrogen, a female hormone.
The pituitary gland is actually a small, round, brown sac filled with fluid, surrounded by a thin layer of cartilage. It is located just below the iris of each eye on either side of the middle ear. In men, the glands are under control, but in women, they are stimulated by oocytes. When an oocyte secretes an egg, the pituitary gland produces an egg precursor, which eventually becomes the clear coat or nasturtium.
Oocytes secrete an egg, which is the material that fertilizes the egg. A fertilized egg turns into a zona pellucida, which is then released at the same time as another egg.
Hypitaria release a chemical that triggers the release of testosterone and estrogen. This causes the pituitary gland to produce and secrete adrenaline and cortisol, which act on other hormones.
Hypitaria secrete thyroid hormone, which controls metabolism and is responsible for regulating body temperature. When the pituitary gland produces too much testosterone or too much estrogen, it can cause health problems. For example, people with excessive amounts of estrogen or testosterone in their bodies have high blood pressure, obesity, hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid gland), and hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid gland).
Thyroid hormone can be deficient if the pituitary is not working properly. Hypothyroidism, which occurs when the thyroid gland does not produce enough hormone, is the most common thyroid problem affecting adults and children, although it can occur at any age.
Because thyroid dysfunction can lead to pituitary disorders, doctors try to diagnose this problem using medical tests such as lumbar puncture, x-rays, blood tests or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), and CAT (camera x-ray fluorescence imaging. Other tests that may help identify the exact type of pituitaries disorder are radioactive iodine, CT scan, MRI, X-ray fluoroscopy, CT scan and PET (magnetic resonance imaging), all of which may help to identify thyroid deficiencies.
The diagnosis of hypothyroidism is made when the thyroid gland is unable to produce sufficient hormone, or when the hormone level becomes abnormally low
Because hypothyroidism is caused by problems with the pituitary gland, it must be treated by treating these problems. One of the primary treatments for hypothyroidism is a synthetic hormone called levothyroxine, which is a synthetic form of the hormone thyroxine.
When the pituitary gland is functioning properly, it produces a hormone called TSH, or thyroxine, which helps control the activity of the thyroid gland. TSH levels decrease when the pituitary gland is underactive and increase when the hormone is overactive. When the thyroid gland is producing too much TSH, the pituitary gland secretes more TSH, causing more thyroid activity.
In some cases, when the pituitary gland fails to produce enough hormone, it will begin to shut down, resulting in a condition called Hashimoto's thyroiditis, also known as Hashalou's thyroiditis. This condition is caused when the thyroid gland is overproducing thyroid hormones. In this case, the thyroid gland's cells begin to kill off some of the bone tissue surrounding the gland, resulting in a build up of scar tissue.
Some of the symptoms of Hashimoto's thyroiditis include severe fatigue, weight gain, depression, constipation, diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting, an enlarged spleen and jaundice, among others. In rare cases, the condition can be fatal. Since the thyroid gland is responsible for producing thyroid hormones, treatment of the condition will result in the production of more TSH and the hormone levels falling to normal.
When thyroid conditions exist in adults, it can affect the pituitary gland. Because it is responsible for producing and regulating hormones, pituitary problems should be treated so that they do not cause further problems.
