The following is a summary of “Obesity, Overweight, and Pituitary Stalk Interruption Syndrome in Children and Young Adults,” published in the February 2023 issue of Endocrinology & Metabolism by Nannette, et al.

Pituitary stalk interruption syndrome (PSIS) is a rare condition found in children, which is characterized by hormonal deficiencies, anterior pituitary hypoplasia, and an ectopic posterior pituitary stalk interruption. However, little research has been done on the correlation between PSIS and obesity/overweight, and it is believed that obesity is underreported in the literature. For a study, researchers sought to identify and compare the phenotype of patients with PSIS and obesity or overweight to those without overweight/obesity.

The study included 69 children and young adults diagnosed with PSIS from 1984 to 2019 in Toulouse. Among them, 25 patients were found to be obese or overweight (OB-OW group), while the other 44 were non-obese/overweight (NO group). The two groups were then compared.

All cases were sporadic and the sex ratio was 1.6. Growth retardation was the primary reason for consultation in both groups, with 61% of patients in the OB-OW group and 77% in the NO group experiencing this symptom. A history of neonatal hypoglycemia was more common in the OB-OW group than the NO group (57% vs 14%, P = .0008), as was the presence of extra pituitary malformations (64% vs 20%, P < 0001). The incidence of cesarean section was higher in the OB-OW group (52%) than the NO group (23%), although not statistically significant (P = .07).

In conclusion, the study suggested that patients with PSIS who are obese or overweight have a different phenotype compared to those without obesity/overweight. Further research was needed to better understand the hormonal levels, particularly with regard to oxytocin and ghrelin, and their possible correlation to PSIS.

Reference: academic.oup.com/jcem/article-abstract/108/2/323/6750026?redirectedFrom=fulltext