Men suddenly 'impotent', beware of pituitary tumors

Decreased sexual desire, transient headaches… in men can be a manifestation of a tumor in the pituitary gland.

Many men with reduced sexual desire, self-supplement with all kinds of foods, even take medicine but all are ineffective. When examining men, many people are advised by doctors to go to the hospital to check for brain tumors. The Department of Neurosurgery, Central Cancer Hospital (Hanoi) treats many men who suddenly become impotent due to pituitary tumors.

The pituitary gland is an endocrine gland that controls endocrine functions in the human body. The pituitary gland is located in the skull, so pituitary tumors are classified as brain tumors. When suffering from pituitary tumors, patients have hormonal disorders. Dr. Nguyen Duc Lien, Head of the Department of Neurosurgery, Central Cancer Hospital (Hanoi), said that at that time, patients may have symptoms that are easily confused with those of other specialties.

In men, pituitary tumors cause decreased sexual desire and transient headaches. Men often ignore these symptoms because they are subjective. According to Dr. Lien, there are very small tumors but they lead to very large hormonal changes in men, even 18-20 times more than normal.

With the help of CT scan and MRI, doctors can detect pituitary tumors as small as 3 mm. In addition, MRI can also assess the damage around the tumor, helping doctors choose the appropriate surgical method.

Currently, doctors can perform endoscopic surgery to remove pituitary tumors through the nose, with almost no mortality rate and very few complications and accidents, instead of surgically removing the tumor through an open skull.

Doctors recommend that early diagnosis is very important for successful treatment of pituitary tumors. If the patient has symptoms such as drooping eyelids, decreased vision, hormonal changes, impotence, etc., not only should they see an ophthalmologist or endocrinologist, but they should also consider brain abnormalities.

According to VNE