Pituitary gland

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Pituitary gland

Pituitary gland:

§  It is the brain that determines every action of the body.

§  Pituitary gland is responsible for all the functions of height, growth of the reproductive system.

§  The Pituitary gland is the master gland. This gland is located in the brain, below the hypothalamus gland, about the size of a small pea. It sits in its own little chamber under the brain known as the sella turcica.

§  It is important in endocrine glands and weighing on average, 0.5 grams in humans. This, small pea-sized gland can be divided into three parts namely anterior lobe, intermediate lobe and posterior lobe.

§  The hypothalamus controls both the nervous system and the endocrine system. The hypothalamus controls the secretion of eight major hormones secreted by the pituitary gland.

§  Pituitary gland is responsible for keeping the body temperature under control, taking the necessary amount of water and food for the body. This gland is also responsible for our sexual activities, growth of organs and many more.

§  It is the hormones secreted from here that stimulate other endocrine glands in the body and determine the function of the body.

§  Arterial supply of the Pituitary gland:

v Superior hypophyseal artery

v Infundibular artery

v Prechiasmal artery

v Inferior hypophyseal artery

v Capsular artery

v Artery of the inferior cavernous sinus.

§  Hormones of the Pituitary gland:

Anterior lobe:

§  From the anterior lobe of the Pituitary gland, the hormones that stimulate the growth of the body and the growth of the reproductive system are secreted. Human growth hormone, follicle stimulating hormone etc. are important in this.

§  Follicle-stimulating hormone is very important for the development of male and female reproductive organs such as testicles and vulva and uterus.

§  Similarly, thyroid stimulating hormone and adrenal stimulating hormones are secreted here.

§  This is also where prolactin, the hormone that stimulates milk secretion after childbirth, is secreted.

§  The gland that secretes melanin in our skin is melanocytes gland. Melanocytes gland is stimulated and controlled by the pituitary gland.

 

v Growth hormone:

·        In children, growth hormone stimulates growth. In other words, it helps children grow taller.

·        In adults, growth hormone helps maintain healthy muscles and bones and impacts fat distribution.

·        GH deficiency: Pituitary doesn’t release enough growth hormone causes a lack of growth and development and delayed puberty in children. In adults, it causes metabolic issues.

v Thyroid stimulating hormone:

·        TSH stimulates thyroid to produce thyroid hormones that manage the metabolism, energy levels and the nervous system.

·        Hypothyroidism happens when pituitary doesn’t release enough thyroid stimulating hormone. It causes low thyroid hormone levels.

v Adreno-corticotrophin hormone:

·        ACTH plays a role in how your body responds to stress.

·        It stimulates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol, which has many functions, including regulating metabolism, maintaining blood pressure, regulating blood sugar levels and reducing inflammation, among others.

·        Central adrenal insufficiency happens when pituitary doesn’t release enough ACTH. This causes the body to be unable to release cortisol.

v Follicle-stimulating hormone:

·        FSH stimulates sperm production in people assigned male at birth.

·         Follicle stimulating hormone stimulates the ovaries to produce estrogen and plays a role in egg development in people assigned female at birth.

v Melanocyte stimulating hormone

v Luteinizing hormone:

·        LH stimulates ovulation in people assigned female at birth and production in people assigned male at birth.

·        Central hypogonadism happens when pituitary doesn’t release enough LH and FSH. It causes issues with sexual function and development and fertility.

v Prolactin:

·        prolactin stimulates breast milk production after giving birth.

v Endorphins:

·        Endorphins have pain relieving properties and are thought to be connected to the “pleasure centers” of the brain.

v Beta- melanocyte stimulating hormone:

·        This hormone helps to stimulate increased pigmentation of the skin in response to exposure to ultraviolet radiation.

 

Posterior lobe:

§  Antidiuretic hormone:

·        This is also called Vasopressin.

·        It is secreted in the posterior lobe of Pituitary gland, which monitors the amount of water in our body, stimulates the kidneys to excrete excess water, and prevents the body’s water from being completely released.

§  Oxytocin:

·        Similarly, the hormone oxytocin, which is very important for women, is secreted here.

·        It is an important hormone that helps women during labor to dilate the birth canal, induce labor, contract the uterus after delivery, prevent bleeding, stimulate milk secretion, and increase mother-child bonding.

·        Hypothalamus makes oxytocin, and pituitary gland stores and releases it.

·        In people assigned male at birth, oxytocin plays a role in moving sperm.

Symptoms of damaged Pituitary gland:

§  Headaches.

§  Unexplained weight gain.

§  Feeling dizzy and nauseous.

§  Muscle wasting.

§  Loss of libido.

§  Pale complexion.

§  Coarsening of facial features.

§  Vision problems.

Prevalence and detection method:

§  Pituitary gland can be affected due to various reasons including brain tumor, tumor in pituitary gland, accident. As a brain tumor compresses the pituitary gland, its function is completely changed.

§  As a result, the pituitary gland becomes inflamed, hormone secretion may decrease or increase. Whatever happens in this can have a major impact on the body.

§  This impact can be detected through a simple blood test that measures the level of hormones in the blood.

§  The doctor will decide which hormone to measure depending on the type of the patient’s condition.

§  After that doctors will determine whether the pituitary gland is shrunk or enlarged through a CT or MRI scan and decide what kind of treatment to give.