title: [Hypothalamic-pituitary Langerhans cell histiocytosis in adults].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Langerhans cell histiocytosis is a rare entity. Involvement of the pituitary region is frequently delayed and rarely studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report some clinical and paraclinical particularities of the disease in four women. Diabetes insipidus was the initial symptom in all cases, accompanied by panhypopituitarism at initial presentation in one woman. Hypopituitarism was diagnosed from 6 months to 4 years after the diabetes insipidus in the other cases, and systemic lesions appeared 3 to 6 years thereafter. Magnetic resonance imaging of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis found tumors in two patients and infundibular thickening in the other two. One patient also had a partially empty sella.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In adults, pituitary involvement seems to occur predominantly in women, and panhypopituitarism is possible at initial presentation. The clinical polymorphism of Langerhans cell histiocytosis makes this disease difficult and often slow to diagnose.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Endocrinologie, Hôpital Militaire Principal d'Instruction de Tunis, Tunisie. olfaessais@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: Olfa
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Essais
authors.forename: Rached
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jomaa
authors.forename: Radhia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bougerra
authors.forename: Zinet
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Marrakchi
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ben Salem
authors.forename: Haroun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ouertani
authors.forename: Saïd
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chamakhi
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Neji
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ben Slama
authors.forename: Borni
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zidi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003919:Diabetes Insipidus / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006646:Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007027:Hypothalamic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010900:Pituitary Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*