What Are The Symptoms Of A Pituitary Tumor?

Unusual And Unexplained Fatigue

Fatigue characterizes when an individual feels like they do not have any energy to carry out their normal daily functions. The energy in an individual's body is produced by the cells through certain processes that require a steady supply of certain nutrients and substances. Oxygen and glucose are the two main elements in the body that are required for the cells to produce usable energy. They come from the food an affected individual consumes.

Cancerous cells in a tumor growing somewhere within an individual's body are also made of cells that require usable energy. However, a pituitary tumor will not leave enough oxygen and glucose for the other healthy cells in the body to use. This mechanism causes the individual to feel unusually weak and fatigued.

Anxiety And Depression

One of the most common causes of anxiety and depression is a condition referred to as hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland does not produce an adequate amount of thyroid hormone. Depression and anxiety in hypothyroidism patients are also commonly paired with tiredness and fatigue. Secondary hypothyroidism occurs when the pituitary gland does not produce enough thyroid-stimulating hormone. Remember, this hormone is responsible for telling the thyroid to produce more thyroid hormones when they become too low.

A tumor that develops in the pituitary gland can cause the cells responsible for producing thyroid-stimulating hormone to be unable to carry out this function. This mechanism can cause an affected individual to develop anxiety and depression due to pituitary tumor-precipitated hypothyroidism.