ABSTRACT
Hereditary forms of pituitary insufficiency not associated with anatomic defects of
the central nervous system, hypothalamus, or pituitary are a heterogeneous group of
disorders that result from interruptions at different points in the hypothalamic-pituitary-somatomedin-peripheral
tissue axis. These different types of pituitary dwarfism can be classified on the
level of the defect; mode of inheritance; whether the phenotype is isolated growth
hormone deficiency (IGHD) or combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD); whether
the hormone is absent, deficient, or abnormal; and, in patients with GH resistance,
whether insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) is deficient due to GH receptor or IGF1
defects. Information on each disorder is summarized. More detailed information can
be obtained through the electronic database Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man which
is available at http://www3.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Omim/.
KEYWORD
hormone (GH) - isolated GH deficiency (IGHD) - combined pituitary hormone deficiency
(CPHD)