General data on the hypothalamic-pituitary disorders (guidelines for patients)

Abstract

Most diseases of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland are relatively rare, and therefore not only patients, but many doctors are new to their manifestations, diagnostic methods, treatment tactics, and most importantly, rehabilitation methods (including psychological). The low incidence of such diseases, however, does not detract from the importance of the problems faced by a particular patient. Currently, schools for teaching methods of self-monitoring of patients with diabetes mellitus and a number of other chronic diseases have been created and are actively functioning. There is a need to create such schools for patients with hypothalamic-pituitary diseases, since competent replacement therapy, which the vast majority of patients need after various interventions on the pituitary gland, significantly improves their quality of life. And if we take into account that the age of most patients does not exceed 40 years, then the importance of such schools, as well as the need to create a comprehensive rehabilitation system for these patients, become obvious. Schools for patients with hypothalamic-pituitary diseases have already been established and are successfully functioning in Western Europe, in particular in the UK. These schools help patients with Itsenko-Cushing's disease, prolactinomas, acromegaly, diabetes insipidus, pituitary dwarfism, panhypopituitarism. During classes, patients get acquainted with the anatomical and physiological features of the hypothalamic-pituitary system, its relationship with peripheral endocrine glands, they explain the main clinical manifestations of their disease, methods for its diagnosis and treatment. Patients are told about the meaning of certain terms used by attending physicians to describe their disease, as well as the possible side effects of the medications they take.