Pituitary adenomas: Sociodemographical, clinical and therapeutic characteristics of 250 cases

Introduction and objective: Pituitary adenomas are present in 23% of the general population, being mainly small and asymptomatic. Despite the existence of global and regional data, in Ecuador there are no large-scale records on this pathology. The objective of this study is to descriptive diagnosed pituitary tumorś socio-demography, clinical, and therapeutic features over a 5-years period in one of the most important specialty hospitals in the country. Materials and methods: An observational study with descriptive design was performed. Data from clinical records of patients with a definitive diagnosis of pituitary adenoma that have been treated from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2016 were collected at the specialty hospital José Carrasco Arteaga. Results: There were 250 cases with pituitary adenomas, 179 women (71,6%), 126 (50,4%), adults. The most frequent diagnostic age was between 20 and 39 years. The microadenoma was observed in 164 times (65,6%). The clinical presentation was mostly symptomatic in 225 people (90%). Excess hormonal production was detected in 176 patients (70,4%). Prolactinoma was the most common subtype, 146 (58,4%). The most used treatment was pharmacological, in 200 cases (80%). Conclusions: The results are similar to the literature reviewed, although in this study the symptomatic presentation prevailed mostly over the incidental form and the percentage difference between female and male was greater, especially among non-functioning subtypes.