Your or your child’s pituitary manages many hormonal functions. Pressure from a craniopharyngioma can cause the following conditions:
- Growth hormone (GH) deficiency: This condition affects children’s growth rates. Adults who have GH deficiency may have low energy, osteoporosis, little muscle strength, increased LDL cholesterol and heart problems.
- Gonadotropin deficiency: People with this issue often have delayed puberty. Women might not have periods, a condition known as amenorrhea.
- Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) deficiency: This condition causes people to feel weak and tired. Other conditions are weight loss, loss of appetite, muscle weakness, nausea and vomiting, and low blood pressure (hypotension).
- Thyroid stimulating hormone (THS) deficiency: People who have THS may have fatigue, irregular periods and forgetfulness.
- Central diabetes insipidus (CDI): This condition makes people feel extremely thirsty (polydipsia) and to pee a lot (polyuria.) People who have CDI can develop dehydration, irregular heartbeats, fever, dry skin and mucous membranes, confusion and seizures.