Endocrine manifestations of histiocytosis.

Diabetes insipidus and growth retardation are the prominent endocrine manifestations of histiocytosis. Galactorrhea, hypogonadism, and panhypopituitarism are rarely associated with this disorder. To date, the vast majority of morphologic and functional studies of the pituitary and hypothalamus in affected patients indicate that histiocytic infiltration results in a hypothalamic dysfunction with a secondary partial or complete hypopituitarism. This hypopituitarism is due to deficient trophic stimulation or inhibition by hypothalamic releasing or inhibitory factors.