COVID-19 and hypopituitarism

Rev Endocr Metab Disord. 2022 Apr;23(2):215-231. doi: 10.1007/s11154-021-09672-y. Epub 2021 Aug 13.

Abstract

Besides the pulmonary manifestations caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), an emerging endocrine phenotype, which can heavily impact on the severity of the syndrome, has been recently associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Patients with pituitary diseases or the pituitary gland itself may also be involved in COVID-19 clinical presentation and/or severity, causing pituitary apoplexy.Moreover, hypopituitarism is frequently burdened by several metabolic complications, including arterial hypertension, hyperglycemia, obesity and vertebral fractures, which have all been associated with poor outcomes and increased mortality in patients infected by SARS-CoV-2.This review will discuss hypopituitarism as a condition that might have a bidirectional relationship with COVID-19 due to the frequent presence of metabolic comorbidities, to the direct or indirect pituitary damage or being per se a potential risk factor for COVID-19. Finally, we will address the current recommendations for the clinical management of vaccines in patients with hypopituitarism and adrenal insufficiency.

Keywords: COVID-19; Hypopituitarism; Pituitary surgery; SARS-CoV-2; Vaccination.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19* / complications
  • Comorbidity
  • Humans
  • Hypopituitarism* / complications
  • Risk Factors
  • SARS-CoV-2