Cognitive impairment and psychopathology in patients with pituitary diseases

Patients who are considered to have been successfully treated for pituitary disease because they are in long-term remission of functioning or non-functioning macroadenomas, still report reduced quality of life and persistent morbidity and have (slightly) increased mortality. It is likely that the causes are multi-factorial, including intrinsic imperfections of surgical or endocrine replacement therapy, but also of persistent effects of hormone excess on the central nervous system affecting personality and behaviour. In agreement, recent studies demonstrate that patients in long-term remission for acromegaly and Cushing's disease have a higher prevalence of psychopathology and more maladaptive personality traits, display different and less effective coping strategies, and experience more negative illness perceptions. These new findings are intriguing in view of the general impairments in health-related quality of life, suggesting that the effects of previous hormone excess on the central nervous system can be long-lasting and to a certain extent even be irreversible. This review aims to address the effects of the treatment of pituitary disease on quality of life and neuropsychological functioning. Further research is needed to gain more insight into irreversibility of hormone excess syndromes. However, since coping strategies are altered, it is tempting to speculate that quality of life might be improved by targeted interventions.