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Childhood hypopituitarism: Etiological pattern in a major teaching hospital in Saudi Arabia.

Nasir A-M Al-Jurayyan

Background: Childhood hypopituitarism is a clinical syndrome of deficiency in pituitary hormone production. It might be partial or complete. Presentation varies from asymptomatic to acute collapse depending on the etiology, rapidity of onset, and predominant hormone involved.

Design and setting: A retrospective hospital based study was conducted at the pediatric endocrine service, King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during the period of January 1989 and December 2017.

Material and methods: The medical records of patients with the diagnosis of hypopituitarism were retrospectively reviewed. Data included age, sex, clinical presentation, and results of relevant laboratory investigations and radiological imaging.

Results: During the period under review, a total of 202 patients were diagnosed to have hypopituitarism. Mean age at diagnosis was 8.9 years, range 0-18 years. A brain MRI was helpful in identifying the cause. A diversity of causes was encountered with a non-tumor causes being the commonest.

Conclusion: Childhood hypopituitarism is not that rare. A brain MRI scan is critical in attempting to determine the specific cause and plan the management.