Effect of Hormone Levels and Aging on Cognitive Function of Patients with Pituitary Adenomas Prior to Medical Treatment.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairments have been reported in patients with pituitary adenomas (PAs). The aim of this research was to demonstrate the effects of hormones and age on cognitive decline in patients with PAs. METHODS: A total of 64 patients with PA and 69 healthy control subjects (HCs) were recruited for this study. Both PAs and HCs were divided into a younger group (<50 years of age) and an older group (≥50 years of age). Neurocognitive domains were assessed using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Chinese Revision (WAIS-RC) and Wechsler Memory Scale-Chinese Revision (WMS-RC) tests. Furthermore, we also investigated the relationship between cognitive domains and tumor volume, and the hormone levels and age of patients with PA. RESULTS: Several of the cognitive impairments found on the WAIS-RC and WMS-RC tests were more frequently observed in untreated patients with PA. Importantly, no significant correlations were found between cognitive domains and tumor volume after controlling age, sex, and educational levels. Furthermore, several significant correlations were found between cognitive domains and hormone levels, such as free thyroxine and adrenocorticotropic hormone, after controlling age, sex, and educational levels. Finally, the age of the patients was found to correlate with a decrease in memory after controlling sex and educational levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate a significant decline in the cognitive performance of patients with PA prior to medical treatment, especially in older patients, which suggests that hormones and age have the ability to interact and aggravate cognitive decline in patients with PA.