Osteoporosis is a common, multifactorial disorder clearly associated with increased morbidity and mortality. It has only been recognized relatively recently that because of the complex hormone disorders which accompany pituitary disease, patients with this condition are at higher risk for the development of osteoporosis and fractures. Patients with pituitary disease should be evaluated for the possibility of osteoporosis. If identified, underlying hormonal and metabolic factors should be aggressively searched for and corrected as is appropriate for an individual patient. Bone health is a life-long process and the thinking that osteoporosis is only a disease of the elderly is completely untrue. As early as childhood and adolescence peak bone mass is developed, and will be an important factor in bone strength throughout life. Adolescents with pituitary disease and associated hormone abnormalities may be at even greater risk for the development of osteoporosis because not only do the lose established bone, they also fail to achieve peak bone mass in their early life. Therefore, patients with pituitary disease of all ages should discuss osteoporosis with their physicians as a part of their overall health concerns.

Author: Dr. Anne Klibanski MD (Spring, 1998)

Editor’s Note: Dr. Anne Klibanski is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and is Chief of the Neuroendocrine Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.