Direct causes of death in Japanese patients with hypopituitarism as analyzed from a nation-wide autopsy database.
OBJECTIVE
The direct causes of death in Japanese patients with hypopituitarism remain unclear. In this study, the direct causes of death were investigated and compared between Japanese patients with hypopituitarism from a nation-wide autopsy database and an age- and gender-matched control population from national reports.


METHODS
Three hundred and ninety-one subjects with hypopituitarism who had died were selected from a nation-wide autopsy database (1984-1993). The ratios of each cause of death among the age- and gender-matched control population were derived from national reports.


RESULTS
In subjects with hypopituitarism, an increased relative frequency of death from cerebrovascular diseases (male; 2.02 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.45-2.82), female; 1.73 (95% CI 1.18-2.52)) was found. In particular, the relative frequency of death from cerebral hemorrhage was 4.60 (95% CI 2.95-7.17) in male and 4.80 (95% CI 2.90-7.94) in female subjects with hypopituitarism. Unexpectedly, a decreased relative frequency of death from all heart diseases (male; 0.439 (95% CI 0.277-0.696), female; 0.267 (95% CI 0.149-0.478)) was found in subjects with hypopituitarism, although there was no difference between subjects with hypopituitarism and controls in the frequency of death from ischemic heart disease.


CONCLUSIONS
These results provide useful information for the long-term care of Japanese patients with hypopituitarism.
Kaji
Hidesuke
H
Division of Physiology/Metabolism, College of Nursing Art and Science, Hyogo, Akashi, Japan. hidesuke_kaji@cnas-hyogo.ac.jp
Chihara
Kazuo
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001344:Autopsy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D002423:Cause of Death; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000401:mortality*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007018:Hypopituitarism / Q000401:mortality*; D007223:Infant; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio