What is a pituitary tumor? Diabetes insipidus. The harm of pituitary tumor

Pituitary tumors are currently a common and serious disease. Even if the tumor is benign, it must be treated with extreme caution. Pituitary tumors are harmful to a certain extent, so hospitals usually recommend early surgical treatment to increase the chances of recovery. However, many patients have heard that pituitary tumors can cause diabetes insipidus after surgery, so they are hesitant. So what is pituitary tumor diabetes insipidus?

1. What is Pituitary Tumor Diabetes Insipidus

Pituitary tumors belong to the endocrinology department. A pituitary tumor is a tumor that arises from the anterior pituitary, posterior pituitary, and craniopharyngeal cells. Most patients with pituitary tumors are in their young and middle-aged years, and the chance of male friends suffering from pituitary tumors is higher than that of female friends. There are currently many treatments for pituitary tumors. The main treatments include radiotherapy, drug therapy and surgical treatment. Although medicine has made great breakthroughs in the treatment of pituitary tumors, there is still no way to completely cure pituitary tumors. Patients with pituitary tumors will experience some discomfort after long-term treatment. The most common discomforts after pituitary tumor surgery include diabetes insipidus, decreased vision and central nervous system damage. These problems do not occur in everyone.

2. Harm of pituitary tumors

1. Pituitary tumors cause sexual dysfunction

Sexual dysfunction refers to impotence and decreased libido. Sexual dysfunction is one of the clinical manifestations of early-stage pituitary adenoma. About 60% of pituitary tumor patients have sexual dysfunction.

2. Pituitary tumor causes headache

About 2/3 of patients experience headaches in the early stages. The pain is mainly located behind the eye sockets, in the forehead, and near the temples on both sides. It is mild and occurs intermittently. Because pituitary tumors originate from the sella turcica at the base of the skull, which is surrounded by closed bone and only covered by the tough septum sellae, direct stimulation or growth of the tumor can cause increased pressure within the sella turcica, leading to headaches.

3. Pituitary tumors lead to decreased vision and visual field defects

Pituitary tumors can break through the sella turcica floor and grow downward, invading important blood vessels and nerves in the skull on both sides. However, the most common way of growth is to develop above the sella turcica and compress the optic chiasm and optic nerve, causing decreased vision and visual field defects. Patients often complain of decreased vision, inability to see to the sides, and always banging their heads against door edges.