Facial changes, swollen limbs, perhaps it's a pituitary adenoma

If a woman's face changes for no reason, her skin becomes rough, or she suddenly stops having menstruation or has amenorrhea, don't take it lightly. It may be a pituitary adenoma. In recent years, the incidence of pituitary adenomas in my country has been increasing year by year, especially in women of childbearing age. However, most pituitary adenomas are benign, and malignant ones are rare, and generally do not affect a person's normal life span. Women may experience unexplained menstruation, amenorrhea, or even infertility; men may experience decreased sexual function and impotence.

Abnormal prolactin secretion caused by pituitary tumors often results in abnormal manifestations of the reproductive system. Female patients often first visit a gynecologist, and some may also experience breast swelling and the ability to squeeze out milk.

Gradual or sudden decrease in vision, loss of visual field

The location of the pituitary tumor is prone to compressing the optic nerve conduction pathway, causing abnormal vision and temporal and nasal visual field defects. After excluding the possibility of ophthalmic diseases and other intracranial tumors, the possibility of a pituitary tumor should be considered in combination with blood hormone levels.

Acromegaly and facial changes

The appearance of adults gradually changes, with thick hands and feet, wide face, high cheekbones, big nose and thick lips, underbite and other special facial features, which may be accompanied by rough skin, pigmentation, severe snoring during sleep, etc. Clinically, it is often caused by pituitary growth hormone adenoma. Another prominent manifestation of excessive growth hormone secretion is that adolescents grow too fast in height, growing to 1.9 or 2 meters at a young age, such as "gigantism".

"Full Moon Face" and "Buffalo Back"

Patients with pituitary ACTH cell adenomas may experience side effects similar to those of patients taking glucocorticoids for a long time, including facial swelling like a full moon, shoulders and back as thick as an ox, enlarged belly and waist, and purple lines on the skin, collectively known as "Cushing's syndrome."

High blood sugar, high blood pressure

Patients with "Cushing's syndrome" often have high blood pressure and blood sugar in the early stages. In addition to affecting blood sugar and blood pressure, growth hormone-secreting pituitary tumors can also cause myocardial hypertrophy and heart discomfort.