A patient with a pituitary adenoma may die suddenly due to a number of possible mechanisms.
The presence of a pituitary adenoma may be known from:
(1) pressure effects (on visual fields, headaches, etc)
(2) effects of excessive hormone production (acromegaly, etc)
(3) hypopituitarism
Reasons for sudden death:
(1) pituitary apoplexy (hemorrhage or infarction)
(2) ventricular tachyarrhythmia in acromegaly
(3) adrenal insufficiency (from lack of ACTH secretion)
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Specialty: Clinical Laboratory, Neurology, Endocrinology
