What Are The Symptoms Of A Pituitary Tumor?

A pituitary tumor is a benign or malignant irregular growth that develops in the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland is located at the base of the brain and is responsible for the central management and regulation of all the other glands located throughout the body. The pituitary gland carries out these functions through making and excreting growth hormone, thyroid-stimulating hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, prolactin, vasopressin, and oxytocin. Aside from rare cases caused by hereditary factors and conditions, the cause of pituitary tumor development is not known. A pituitary tumor diagnosis is made with a physical examination, blood tests, urine tests, MRIs, CT scans, vision testing, and endocrine function tests. The treatment of a pituitary tumor depends on the type, location, and severity of the tumor. Surgery, radiation therapy, and medications may be required in some cases, while watchful waiting is all that is needed for others.

With this in mind, get familiar with the symptoms of a pituitary tumor now.

Vision Loss

An individual who has a smaller size pituitary tumor will not typically experience problems with their vision. However, individuals who have pituitary tumors larger than one centimeter in diameter may develop loss of vision in one or both of their eyes. Sometimes certain components of the vision will become compromised, such as peripheral vision. Another common visual manifestation that occurs in pituitary tumor patients is double vision. An individual's eyes are situated just a few centimeters in front where the pituitary gland is housed, an area referred to as the pituitary sella. Two thick bands made up of hundreds of nerve fibers connect the eyes to the brain, allowing visual data to travel to the brain where it is processed. A pituitary tumor that is large enough can compress one or both of these optic nerve cables, and result in a disruption of data impulses between the eyes and the brain. This malfunction is what produces visual symptoms.

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