Hypopituitarism and cardiovascular risk

Kraljević, Ivana (author), Solak, Mirsala (author), Mandić, Ante (author), Mlekuš, Katarina (author), Raičević, Maja (author), Divanović Slato, Anida (author), Kovačević, Zlata (author), Muzurović, Emir (author)

Hypopituitarism, resulting from a partial or complete deficiency of anterior or posterior pituitary hormones, is associated with increased cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality. This heterogeneous endocrinological disorder may arise from various etiologies, including genetic mutations, pituitary tumors, traumatic brain injury, and autoimmune diseases. Hypopituitarism often results in multiple endocrine deficits that contribute to metabolic dysregulation characterized by insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and increased visceral adiposity, all known risk factors for CV disease (CVD). Additionally, the presence of chronic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction further increases the risk of CVD in these patients. While standard hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is crucial for restoring hormonal balance, it can sometimes have adverse metabolic effects that can exacerbate atherosclerosis and CVD. Emerging evidence suggests that optimizing HRT regimens and addressing specific hormone deficiencies, such as growth hormone and cortisol, may reduce these risks and improve CV outcomes. This review comprehensively analyzes the etiology, pathophysiological mechanisms underlying CV risk in anterior pituitary dysfunction, and treatment strategies to mitigate CV morbidity and mortality in patients with hypopituitarism.

• Language: English
• Keywords: hypopituitarism, cardiovascular risk, cardiovascular disease, GH deficiency, hormone replacement therapy
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: MF - Faculty of Medicine
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 22 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 30
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-182308
• UDC: 616.1
• ISSN on article: 1940-4034
• DOI: 10.1177/1074248425133239
• COBISS.SI-ID: 275553027
• Publication date in RUL: 07.05.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of cardiovascular pharmacology and therapeutics
• Publisher: Sage
• ISSN: 1940-4034
• COBISS.SI-ID: 3177236

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
• Description: A creative commons license that bans commercial use, but the users don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: hipopituitarizem, kardiovaskularno tveganje, kardiovaskularna bolezen, pomanjkanje rastnega hormona, nadomestno hormonsko zdravljenje