title: Pituitary diseases and sleep disorders.
abstract: Patients with pituitary diseases have decreased quality of life. Sleep disorders are prevalent among patients with pituitary diseases and contribute to decreased quality of life.
  
  
  
  Patients previously treated for compression of the optic chiasm by surgery, and in some cases postoperative radiotherapy, suffer from sleep disorders. These are characterized by decreased sleep quality, delayed onset of sleep, and daytime sleepiness. Circumstantial evidence suggests that this may be caused by hypothalamic dysfunction. A challenging speculation is that previous compression of the optic chiasm compromised the function of the retinohypothalamic tract. Through this tract the eyes convey information on day-night cycles to the hypothalamic nuclei. Patients with acromegaly, even despite biochemical control, suffer frequently from obstructive sleep apnea. Patients with Cushing's disease suffer from fragmented sleep, sleep apnea, and snoring. Prolactinomas do not seem to affect sleep characteristics. The association between appropriately substituted pituitary insufficiency and sleep disorders is less clear. The effects of recombinant human growth hormone on sleep characteristics in adults are inconsistent.
  
  
  
  Pituitary disorders are associated with different sleep disorders. Different studies point to irreversible changes in sleep-wake rhythmicity in patients treated previously for pituitary tumors with chiasm compression. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Johannes A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Romijn
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009897:Optic Chiasm; D010900:Pituitary Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000209:etiology