March 23, 2023 - TRH stimulates your pituitary gland, a small gland located at the bottom of the brain, to release thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). TSH stimulates your thyroid gland, which is located in the front of the neck, to produce T3 and T4.

This is usually caused by a tumor in the region of the pituitary. Rarely the cause is an infiltration of the pituitary by inflammatory cells from the immune system or foreign substances (such as iron in hemochromotosis).

September 15, 2025 - Pituitary hypothyroidism, or secondary hypothyroidism, is caused by failure of the pituitary gland. Learn how to identify and treat this condition.

Hypothyroidism is caused by a deficiency in the production of thyroid hormone and may be either primary or secondary. Primary hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland does not make sufficient amounts of thyroid hormone.

September 11, 2025 - Primary hypothyroidism directly impacts your thyroid and causes it to make low levels of thyroid hormones. In turn, your pituitary gland makes more thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s disease can cause it, or it can happen after thyroid gland surgery ...

August 28, 2023 - In patients with primary hypothyroidism, the most common cause is chronic autoimmune thyroiditis or Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which results in a combination of cell and antibody-mediated thyroid destruction.[1] As a result of thyroid destruction, the low levels of circulating thyroid hormone ...

February 18, 2024 - The less commonly seen secondary or central hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland functions normally; however, hypothyroidism results from the abnormal pituitary gland or hypothalamus function. Autoimmune thyroiditis and iodine deficiency are the most common causes of the disease.

Hypothyroidism is a condition resulting from the deficiency of thyroid hormones, which leads to a generalized slowing of metabolic processes. Central hypothyroidism arises from an anatomic or functional disorder of the pituitary gland and/or the hypothalamus.

July 10, 2017 - The pituitary gland secretes TSH to control thyroid function. The vast majority of hypothyroidism is caused by thyroid gland failure (primary hypothyroidism) and is associated with increased TSH levels.

It is believed that those with pituitary deficiency, even though they may secrete TSH that is measurable as “normal,” secrete far less TSH in a day than normal individuals. Thus, the thyroid is not properly stimulated and T4 levels fall leading to hypothyroidism.

February 13, 2024 - Learn about the symptoms and treatment of this rare condition caused by a problem with the pituitary gland.

Tumors in or around the pituitary can cause impaired pituitary function by exerting pressure on normal pituitary cells, thereby affecting the secretion of TRH, TSH, or both. Radiation, hypophysitis, and Sheehan syndrome cause the death of these cells, while drugs such as dopamine and corticosteroids result in decreased TSH secretion. Congenital nongoitrous hypothyroidism type 4 is caused by a mutation in the TSHB gene and is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern.

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Another cause may be treatment for an overactive thyroid gland. That may include radioactive iodine therapy or surgery. Hypothyroidism may also develop shortly after pregnancy. A condition called secondary hypothyroidism can also sometimes happen. It’s when your pituitary gland does not make ...

May 15, 2021 - Hypothyroidism occurs when there is inadequate thyroid hormone production by the thyroid gland or insufficient stimulation by the hypothalamus or pituitary gland. Causes may include primary gland failure or can be iatrogenic, transient, or central ...

December 10, 2022 - Understand what happens when your thyroid is underactive and learn about treatment for this condition.

It can occur at the level of the ... (tertiary hypothyroidism). In children, this is usually cause by craniopharyngiomas or previous cranial irradiation for brain tumors or hematological malignancies.[3] In adults, it is more commonly due to pituitary macroadenomas, pituitary ...

2 days ago - Hypothyroidism is caused by inadequate function of the gland itself (primary hypothyroidism), inadequate stimulation by thyroid-stimulating hormone from the pituitary gland (secondary hypothyroidism), or inadequate release of thyrotropin-releasing ...

February 4, 2021 - The diagnosis of central hypothyroidism is affected by dysfunction from and interaction with the other axes. ... Hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid function is highly dependent on a variety of local hypothalamic neurotransmitters and gut-brain hormones.

Central or pituitary hypothyroidism: Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) is produced by the pituitary gland, which is located behind the nose at the base of the brain. Any destructive disease of the pituitary gland or hypothalamus, which sits just above the pituitary gland, may cause damage to the cells that secrete TSH, which stimulates the thyroid to produce normal amounts of thyroid hormone.