Sheehan syndrome

Sheehan syndrome's disease overview

What is

What is Sheehan syndrome?

Sheehan syndrome or postpartum pituitary insertion is a rare disorder, occurring due to anemia in postpartum nourishment after birth leading to pituitary necrosis. This syndrome was named after the first description of the French doctor H.L Sheehan in 1937.

This pathological condition happens silently for a long time, manifesting in the first period of the postpartum is not typical so it is easy to be overlooked and often diagnosed late. Sheehan syndrome has life -threatening complications such as acute hypoglycemia, acute adrenal failure or serious electrolyte disorders. All postpartum women are likely to suffer from Sheehan syndrome, so it should be noted at the medical facility when there are abnormal manifestations, especially signs of no milk and no menstruation after birth .

Causes of Sheehan syndrome's disease

Sheehan syndrome mechanism is still not well understood. Many authors believe that the direct cause of disease is anemia nourishing the pituitary gland, due to severe blood loss or very low blood pressure after birth. During pregnancy, the pituitary gland is enlarged and increased in size, so the demand for nourishing blood supply of the pituitary gland also increases and is very sensitive to anemia. The pituitary gland is an important endocrine gland, commanding the activity of many other endocrine glands in the body. When the body does not ensure adequate source of nourishing blood, the pituitary gland will be necrotic and do not suffer enough hormones. This condition leads to the dysfunction of a series of other endocrine glands such as adrenal glands, thyroid glands, genital glands, etc. and causes clinical abnormalities.

Women may have a lot of blood loss due to causes such as uterus, genital trauma, hemostasis disorders, uterine rupture during pregnancy or during pregnancy, ...

Symptoms of Sheehan syndrome's disease

When the pituitary gland is impaired, a series of other endocrine glands in the body are also disturbed, so the clinical manifestation of Sheehan syndrome is quite diverse. The common symptoms that patients encounter include:

Not enough milk for breastfeeding: Milk is not secreted or secreted as well as other healthy mothers to raise children. This sign is easily confused with other common causes so it is easy to ignore.

There is no menstruation back after birth: Along with signs of not going down to milk, amenorrhea or after birth are two key signs that suggest Sheehan syndrome when appearing at the same time at the same time at the same time. together. Normally after birth, women can prevent pregnancy by getting amenorrhea. Then the milk secretes enough to inhibit the genital axis to work again.

Do not regrow pubic hair if it has previously shaved, sparse armpits

Size breasts

External genitalia, apathy in husband and wife relationship

Tired, reduced activities

Weight gain or weight shot quickly

Mental disorders, distraction

Fear of cold

Convulsions, coma, vascular collapse

The degree of expression of symptoms of Sheehan syndrome depends on the level of damage of the pituitary gland, and getting worse when encountering other health problems or mental stresses. reason. Symptoms of the disease usually appear slowly after birth for a few months, sometimes a few years or a few days after giving birth thanks to signs of no breastfeeding. These clinical manifestations are often nonspecific, easily missed until encountering acute complications such as shock, unexplained vascular collapse, electrolyte disorders, hypoglycemia, ...

Transmission route of Sheehan syndrome's diseaseSheehan syndrome

Sheehan syndrome is not transmitted. The cause of the disease comes from the severity of postpartum blood loss, causing anemia to nourish the pituitary gland.

People at risk for Sheehan syndrome's disease

Any woman who is at risk of having severe blood loss diseases increases the likelihood of Sheehan syndrome. Risk factors can be mentioned as:

Many pregnancy

multiple pregnancy (twins, tam pregnancy, ...)

pregnancy

Reverse throne

Prolonged labor

Uterine rupture

Genital trauma

Impossible after birth

striker, each other with combined teeth

Hemostatic disorders

Prevention of Sheehan syndrome's disease

Some measures to help limit the influence of Sheehan syndrome as follows:

Women who intend to get pregnant need to go to health check and regular antenatal care

Fully eaten nutrients for pregnancy

Maternity regime, reasonable rest

If there is any risk factor of acute blood loss, it is necessary to visit at the gynecological specialized doctors for advice, closely monitoring until labor. give birth.

Pregnant women who have suffered from heavy blood loss at birth need to pay attention to detect abnormal manifestations in time.

Diagnostic measures for Sheehan syndrome's disease

The diagnosis of Sheehan syndrome still faces many difficulties because the patient often detects late and the clinical manifestations of the disease are easily confused with other diseases such as postpartum weakness, neurasthenia. , ... Therefore, clinical examination and prehistoric exploitation, the medical history is not enough, the doctor needs to appoint subclinical tests to diagnose the disease:

Quantifying pituitary hormones and other endocrine glands such as quantitative cortisol of adrenal gland hormones, FT3 ft4 of thyroid hormones, estrogen, progesterone of genital hormone

Blood formula

Quantitative tests of electrolytes

Pituitary hormone stimulating test, only performed with the consultation of the endocrinologist.

CT Scan or MRI of the brain: Check the pituitary size, eliminating the causes of other pituitary insufficiency.

Sheehan syndrome's disease treatments

Pituitary lesions in Sheehan syndrome are non -recovery lesions. Currently treatment of Sheehan syndrome is only stopped at the additional treatment of missing hormones and is carried out for a lifetime.

corticosteroids instead of adrenal gland hormones

levothyroxin instead of thyroid hormones

estrogen alone or estrogen in combination with progesterone instead of the genital hormone, and often should be treated until women's natural menopause.

The treatment should be monitored regularly by quantifying the hormones in the blood and adjusting it according to health, weight, and psychological stress problems in Life of patients.

See also:

Pituitary gland: Location, function, common diseases

What is an electrolyte? Meaning of electrolytes indicators

What is electrolyte? Role and how to supplement electrolytes

pituitary gland: Location, function, common diseases

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