Growing taller is a dream for many people. Do adults still have the opportunity to grow taller? Not long ago, a hospital in Changsha received a special patient: a 37 year old man whose height suddenly increased by 10 centimeters in the past year. But in fact, this is not something to be happy about. After a detailed examination, the doctor found that the man had pituitary dysfunction. Although small, the pituitary gland is responsible for regulating the secretion of hormones throughout the body. "The pituitary gland is a small gland located at the bottom of the brain, although only pea sized, it plays an important role in regulating the secretion of hormones throughout the body. It has a direct impact on our growth, metabolism, stress response, and reproductive function. ”Xu Linxin, Deputy Chief Physician of the Endocrinology Department at the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, said in an interview with Science and Technology Daily that hypopituitarism refers to a disease in which the anterior or posterior pituitary gland is partially or completely damaged, resulting in insufficient secretion of one or more pituitary hormones. Normally, adults may suffer from pituitary dysfunction due to tumors such as pituitary adenomas and craniopharyngiomas. In addition, injuries caused by surgery, radiation therapy, head trauma, and factors such as inflammation or infection may also lead to the occurrence of pituitary dysfunction. Xu Linxin told reporters that the pituitary gland has the function of secreting growth hormone. Height increase due to pituitary hypopituitarism is relatively rare. Normally, pituitary dysfunction can affect the normal secretion of growth hormone in adolescents, which may lead to stunted growth in adulthood. Lifetime treatment is required and medication should not be stopped arbitrarily. Apart from affecting height, what are the symptoms of pituitary dysfunction? How to treat it clinically? Liu Yaoji, attending physician of the Endocrinology Department at Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital, stated that when pituitary function is impaired and hormone secretion decreases, people often experience symptoms such as fatigue, drowsiness, fear of cold, slowed metabolism, hypoglycemia, hypotension, and adrenal insufficiency. Generally speaking, hormone replacement therapy is the main treatment for pituitary dysfunction, which requires lifelong medication and individualized adjustment of dosage. It should be noted that hormone replacement therapy should not be discontinued arbitrarily, as it may endanger life. ”Liu Yaoji said that the first step in treating pituitary hypopituitarism is to supplement adrenal cortex hormones, followed by thyroid hormones, and adjust the dosage based on the results of thyroid function review. At the same time, she stated that during the treatment process, osteoporosis, gonadal dysfunction, and various metabolic disorders should be prevented and treated, so sex hormones or growth hormones should be supplemented as appropriate. So, how should one determine if they have pituitary dysfunction? Xu Linxin stated that the early symptoms of pituitary dysfunction are relatively insidious and easily overlooked. For minors, if they experience slow height growth, with an annual height increase of less than 4 centimeters, and are significantly behind their peers, or if they experience delayed puberty accompanied by symptoms such as fatigue, fear of cold, and dry skin, they need to be taken seriously. For adults, if they feel sustained fatigue, especially after rest, and have symptoms such as fear of cold, weight gain, constipation, or low blood pressure, dizziness, and easy hypoglycemia, these may be signals of abnormal hormone secretion. Xu Linxin suggests that if the public experiences the above symptoms, they should seek timely medical attention at the endocrinology department and improve pituitary hormone testing. Especially for those with a history of pituitary tumors or traumatic brain injury, women with postpartum hemorrhage, and those who have been using glucocorticoids for a long time, the frequency of examinations should be increased. (New Society)