Epidemiology

Hypopituitarism is relatively rare, with a prevalence of 45 cases per 100,000 and an incidence of about 4 cases per 100,000 per year in the normal population.[1] In contrast, the prevalence of pituitary adenomas/incidentalomas found at autopsy or on imaging studies is relatively high - up to 27% of post-mortem studies and 10% of magnetic resonance imaging studies.[2] There are no specific sex, ethnic, geographical, or age group trends in the incidence or prevalence of the most frequent aetiologies of hypopituitarism. Hypopituitarism has been associated with a 1.8-fold higher mortality compared with an age- and sex-matched population.[3] Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular death rates are higher in patients with hypopituitarism compared with the normal population.[4] Growth hormone deficiency is most probably responsible for this increased mortality from cardiovascular disease.[3] Hypopituitarism as a consequence of traumatic brain injury is increasingly being recognised.[5][6]

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