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INFORMATION FOR GPs & PRACTICE NURSES

Hydrocortisone Emergency in Pituitary Patients

If you as a GP or Practice Nurse have a patient who takes replacement hydrocortisone, you may be called upon for urgent assistance by your/a pituitary patient in an emergency situation.

Hydrocortisone is a steroid produced by the adrenal gland. A good majority of people with pituitary disease have to take replacement hydrocortisone daily, as they don’t produce this naturally. Therefore, as they take replacements, they don’t have the natural surge of Cortisol if they become acutely ill, are vomiting or have severe shock.

In the stressful situations as described above, an emergency hydrocortisone injection is vital! This injection may be needed to save the patient’s life. If this injection is delayed, the patient can become very ill, very quickly. Blood pressure drops and coma can occur.

The patient might have their own emergency hydrocortisone injection, but please take with you an injection of 100mg if you are called to their home. Once the patient is stable, please adopt the usual protocol for admission to hospital if necessary, with details of hydrocortisone importance relayed to hospital staff.

REMEMBER

PITUITARY PATIENT? > TAKING HYDROCORTISONE?> ADRENAL CRISIS?
IF YES - INJECT WITH HYDROCORTISONE

Pituitary Disease Factfile for General Practitioners

As pituitary disease is relatively rare in the UK, a GP may only see one or two patients with the condition through his or her career. Symptoms suffered by patients are wide-ranging and non-specific, and may not be recognised for some years. These pages and the published GP Factfile aims, therefore, to aid diagnostic skills and the shared after-care of patients.