Child Abuse as a Cause of Post-Traumatic Hypopituitarism

Abstract

Irreversible disturbances of hypothalamic-pituitary function are rarely reported as a complication of closed head injury and, to our knowledge, have not been reported in physically abused children. Whereas diabetes insipidus is a well-described complication of closed head injury in children and adults,^{1 , 2} post-traumatic anterior hypopituitarism is a rarely reported disorder that may result from injury to the anterior pituitary,^{3 , 4} the pituitary stalk,^{5 , 6} or the hypothalamus.⁷ This report describes three children in whom battery in infancy resulted in subdural hematomas, brain injury, anterior hypopituitarism, and impaired growth. In at least two of the patients, the hypopituitarism was secondary to deficiencies of . . .