What Causes Hypopituitarism?

Head Injuries

Head injuries occur when an individual experiences some type of severe trauma to the head. These injuries can cause an individual to develop hypopituitarism through several mechanisms. Most cases of hypopituitarism that occur after a brain injury are due to a combination of direct mechanical injury and injuries that arise from other problems a brain injury causes. Hypotension can be caused by a head injury and result in damage to the pituitary tissues from a lack of oxygen. Hypoxia, oxygen deprivation of the pituitary tissues, can also occur in a brain injury due to excessive internal or external bleeding, swelling, inflammation of the affected areas, and several other mechanisms. Too much blood loss from a brain injury can result in anemia. All of these mechanisms result in the necrosis or death of any number of pituitary cells needed to produce critical hormones that influence every organ system in the body.