[Pituitary involvement in Wegener's granulomatosis. Two cases]

Abstract

Introduction: Wegener's granulomatosis is a necrotizing vasculitis, usually localised in the upper respiratory track, lungs and kidneys. Less than 20 cases of pituitary involvement have been published, and many of them localized to anterior pituitary lesions, revealed by diabetes insipidus.

Observation: We report two cases of Wegener's granulomatosis, with anterior pituitary manifestations: the first patient exhibited diabetes insipidus, with secondary revelation of panhypopituitarism. In the second, the anterior pituitary involvement was manifested in the form of amenorrhoea and galactorrhoea. The outcomes followed the course of the systemic disease.

Discussion: Endocrine manifestations can easily be occulted by the general symptoms of Wegener's granulomatosis, and systematic screening should be applied in cases of pituitary involvement.