Damage to the hypothalamus may affect the satiety centers, resulting in hyperphagia and obesity.
Clinical findings:
(1) hyperphagia/polyphagia
(2) obesity
(3) variable metabolic syndrome
(4) absence of endocrine findings seen with the adiposogenital dystrophy (Frohlich's syndrome)
(5) evidence of damage to the hypothalamus or drug exposure
(6) exclusion of an alternative diagnosis that can explain things better
Conditions associated with hypothalamic obesity include:
(1) craniopharyngiomas
(2) other brain tumors
(3) congenital brain malformation
(4) traumatic brain injury
(5) genetic disorder
(6) radiation
(7) infection
(8) drugs
