Hypopituitarism

Hypopituitarism is caused by

1. Loss of the anterior pituitary parenchyma
    a. congenital 
    b. acquired  
    
2. Disorders of the hypothalamus e.g. tumors; these interfere with the delivery of pituitary hormone-releasing factors from the hypothalamus.  

Most cases of anterior pituitary hypofunction are caused by the following:
1. Nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas 
2. Ischemic necrosis of the anterior pituitary is an important cause of pituitary insufficiency. This requires destruction of 75% of the anterior pituitary. 

Causes include  

a. Sheehan syndrome, refers to postpartum necrosis of the anterior pituitary, and is the most cause. During pregnancy the anterior pituitary enlarges considerably because of an increase in the size and number of prolactin-secreting cells. However, this physiologic enlargement of the gland is not accompanied by an increase in blood supply. The enlarged gland is therefore vulnerable to ischemic injury, especially in women who develop significant hemorrhage and hypotension during the peripartum period. The posterior pituitary is usually not affected. 

b. Disseminated intravascular coagulation 
c. Sickle cell anemia 
d. Elevated intracranial pressure 
e. Traumatic injury
f. Shock states

3. Iatrogenic i.e.  surgical removal or radiation-induced destruction
4. Inflammatory lesions such as sarcoidosis or tuberculosis
5. Metastatic neoplasms involving the pituitary. 
6. Mutations affecting the pituitary transcription factor Pit-1 

Children can develop growth failure (pituitary dwarfism) as a result of growth hormone deficiency.

Gonadotropin or gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) deficiency leads to amenorrhea and infertility in women and decreased libido, impotence, and loss of pubic and axillary hair in men. TSH and ACTH deficiencies result in symptoms of hypothyroidism and hypoadrenalism. Prolactin deficiency results in failure of postpartum lactation. 

Systemic Candidiasis (Candidosis; Moniliasis)

Invasive infections caused by Candida sp, most often C. albicans, manifested by fungemia, endocarditis, meningitis, and/or focal lesions in liver, spleen, kidneys, bone, skin, and subcutaneous or other tissues.

Infections due to Candida sp account for about 80% of all major systemic fungal infections.

Symptoms and Signs

Esophagitis is most often manifested by dysphagia. Symptoms of respiratory tract infections are nonspecific, such as cough. Vaginal infections cause itching, burning, and discharge. Candidemia usually causes fever, but other symptoms are typically nonspecific. Sometimes, a syndrome develops resembling bacterial sepsis, with a fulminating course that may include shock, oliguria, renal shutdown, and disseminated intravascular coagulation.

Hematogenous endophthalmitis starts as white retinal plaques that can cause blindness as destructive inflammation progresses, extending to opacify the vitreous and causing potentially irreversible scarring. Most often, there are no symptoms in early stages of Candida endophthalmitis. If treatment is not begun before symptoms appear, significant or even total loss of vision is likely to occur in the affected eye. In neutropenic patients, eye involvement is more often manifested by retinal hemorrhages; papulonodular, erythematous, and vasculitic skin lesions may also develop.

Alcoholic (nutritional, Laennec’s) cirrhosis

Pathology
 
Liver is at first enlarged (fatty change), then return to normal size and lastly, it becomes slightly reduced in size (1.2 kg or more).
- Cirrhosis is micronodular then macronodular then mixed.   

M/E  
Hepatocytes:-  show fatty change that decreases progressively. Few hepatocytes show increased intracytoplasmic haemochromatosis. 
b. Fibrous septa:-  Regular margins between it and regenerating nodules.
 -Moderate lymphocytic infiltrate.      
 – Slight bile ductular proliferation.
 
Prognosis:-   It Progresses slowly over few years. 

HAEMORRHAGIC DISORDERS

Normal homeostasis depends on

 -Capillary integrity and tissue support.

- Platelets; number and function

(a) For integrity of capillary endothelium and platelet plug by adhesion and aggregation

(b) Vasoactive substances for vasoconstriction

(c) Platelet factor for coagulation.

(d) clot retraction.

- Fibrinolytic system(mainly Plasmin) : which keeps the coagulation system in check.

Coagulation disorders

These may be factors :

Deficiency .of factors

• Genetic.
• Vitamin K deficiency.
• Liver disease.
• Secondary to disseminated intravascular coagulation.or defibrinatian

Overactive fibrinolytic system.

Inhibitors of  the factors (immune, acquired).

Anticoagulant therapy as in myocardial infarction.

Haemophilia. Genetic disease transmitted as X linked recessive trait. Common in Europe. Defect in fcatorVII   Haemophilia A .or in fact .or IX-Haemaphilia B (rarer).

Features:

• May manifest in infancy or later.
• Severity depends  on degree of deficiency.
• Persistant wound bleeding.
• Easy Bruising with Hematoma formation

Nose bleed , arthrosis, abdominal pain with fever and leukocytosis

Prognosis is good with prevention of trauma and-transfusion of Fresh blood or fTesh plasma except for danger of developing immune inhibitors.

Von Willebrand's disease. Capillary fragility and decreased factor VIII (due to deficient stimulatory factor). It is transmitted in an autosomal dominant manner both. Sexes affected equally

Vitamin K  Deficiency. Vitamin K is needed for synthesis of factor II,VII,IX and X.

Deficiency maybe due to:

Obstructive jaundice.

Steatorrhoea.

Gut sterilisation by antibiotics.

Liver disease results in :

Deficient synthesis of factor I II, V, Vll, IX and X  Incseased fibrinolysis (as liver is the site of detoxification of activators ).

Defibrination syndrome. occurs when factors are depleted due to disseminated .intravascular coagulation (DIC). It is initiated by endothelial damage or tissue factor entering the circulation.

Causes

Obstetric accidents, especially amniotic fluid embolism. Septicaemia. .

Hypersensitivity reactions.

Disseminated malignancy.

Snake bite.

Vascular defects : (Non thrombocytopenic purpura).

Acquired :

Simple purpura a seen in women. It is probably endocrinal

Senile parpura in old people due to reduced tissue support to vessels

Allergic or toxic damage to endothelium due to  Infections like Typhoid Septicemia

Col!agen diseases.

Scurvy

Uraemia damage to  endothelium (platelet defects).

Drugs like aspirin. tranquillisers, Streptomvcin pencillin etc.

Henoc schonlien purpura Widespeard vasculitis due to hypersensitivity to bacteria or foodstuff

It manifests as :

Pulrpurric rashes.

Arthralgia.

Abdominal pain.

Nephritis and haematuria.

Hereditary :

(a) Haemhoragic telangieclasia. Spider like tortous vessels which bleed easily. There are disseminated lesions in skin, mucosa and viscera.

(b) Hereditary capillary fragilily similar to the vascular component of von Willbrand’s disease

.(c) Ehler Danlos Syndrome which is a connective tissue defect with skin, vascular and joint manifestations.

Platelet defects

These may be :

(I) Qualitative thromboasthenia and thrombocytopathy.

(2) Thrombocytopenia :Reduction in number.

(a) Primary or idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.

(b) Secondary to :

(i) Drugs especially sedormid

(ii) Leukaemias

(iii) Aplastic-anaemia.

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Commoner in young females.

Manifests as :

Acute self limiting type.

Chronic recurring type.

Features:

(i) Spontaneous bleeding and easy bruisability

(ii)Skin (petechiae), mucus membrane (epistaxis) lesions and sometimes visceral lesions involving any organ.

Thrombocytopenia with abnormal forms of platelets.

Marrow shows increased megakaryocytes with immature forms, vacuolation, and lack of platelet budding.

Pathogenesis:

hypersensitivity to infective agent in acute type.

Plasma thrombocytopenic factor ( Antibody in nature) in chronic type

ATROPHY
It is the acquired decrease in the size of an organ due to decrease in the size and/or number of its constituent cells.
Causes:
(1) Physiological

- Foetal involution.
    o    Branchial clefts.
    o    Ductus arterious.
- Involution of thymus and other lymphoid organs in childhood and adolescence.
- In adults:
    o    Post-partum uterus.
    o    Post-menopausal ovaries and uterus
    o    Post-lactational breast
    o    Thymus.
(2) Pathological:
- Generalised as in

    o    Ageing.
    o    Severe starvation and cachexia
- Localised :
    o    Disuse atropy of bone and muscle.
    o    Ischaemic atrophy as in arteriosclerotic kidney. .
    o    Pressure atrophy due  to tumours and of kidney in hydronephrosis.
    o    Lack of trophic stimulus to endocrines and gonads.
 

Graves disease 

Graves disease is an organ-specific autoimmune disorder that results in thyrotoxicosis due to overstimulation of the thyroid gland by autoantibodies. 
- It is the most common form of thyrotoxicosis, females being affected more than males by 8: 1. 
- It is usually associated with a diffuse enlargement of the thyroid.

Pathogenesis
 
IgG-type immunoglobulins bind to TSH membrane receptors and cause prolonged stimulation of the thyroid, lasting for as long as 12 hours 
(cf. 1 hour for TSH). The autoantibody binds at a site different to the hormone-binding locus and is termed the TSH-receptor autoantibody (TRAb); 95% of Graves’ disease patients are positive for TRAbs

Gross features 
- The thyroid gland is diffusely and moderately enlarged
- It is usually smooth, soft, and congested  

Histologically
- the gland shows diffuse hypertrophy and hyperplasia of acinar epithelium, reduction of stored colloid and local accumulations of lymphocytes with lymphoid follicle formation.

Clinical features

- Exophthalmos (protrusion of the eyeballs in their sockets)—due to the infiltration of orbital tissues by fat, mucopolysaccharides and lymphocytes. May cause compression of the optic nerve, hence blindness. However, only about 5% of Graves’ patients show signs of exophthalmos.
- Thyroid acropachy—enlargement of fingernails. 
- Pretibial myxoedema—accumulation of mucoproteins in the deep dermis of the skin.

Treatment is as for thyrotoxicosis.