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By Mayo Clinic staffHypopituitarism is a disorder in which your pituitary gland fails to produce one or more of its hormones, or doesn't produce enough of them.
The pituitary is a small bean-shaped gland located at the base of your brain, somewhat behind your nose and between your ears. Despite its size, this gland secretes hormones that influence nearly every part of your body.
In hypopituitarism, you have a short supply of one or more of these pituitary hormones. This deficiency can affect any number of your body's routine functions, such as growth, blood pressure and reproduction.
Hypopituitarism is rare. You'll likely need medications to treat it for the rest of your life, but your symptoms of hypopituitarism can be controlled.
- Hypopituitarism. American Academy of Family Physicians. http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/hormone/912.html. Accessed August 1, 2008.
- Snyder PJ. Diagnosis of hypopituitarism. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed August 1, 2008.
- Hypopituitarism. Merck Manual. http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec13/ch162/ch162c.html. Accessed August 1, 2008.
- Snyder PJ. Treatment of hypopituitarism. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html.Accessed August 1, 2008.