ENDOCRINE DISTURBANCES AND THEIR DIETETIC BACKGROUND IN UNDERNOURISHED IN MEXICO

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Abstract
Patients (543) with chronic undernutrition were studied at the Hospital de Enfermedades de la Nutricion. In these patients dietary habits, endocrine functions, clinical manifestations, functional tests, hormonal determinations and histopathological studies were carried out. It was found that a completely insufficient diet, especially low in animal protein, riboflavin and nicotinic acid, gave rise to a clinical picture of panhypopituitarism. This was manifested by atrophy of the subsidiary glands of the hypophysis and clinical manifestations of hypogonadism and diminution of the activity of the adrenals. Insufficient output of pituitary hormone was shown by the low excretion of pituitary gonadotropins and by the reaction to exogenous corticotropins. This was also shown by the many histol-ogical and clinical manifestations. The hypothesis is established that this reduced hypophysial stimulus is due to the inhibitory action of the hormones from the subsidiary glands which maintain a sufficiently high blood level to exercise this inhibitory action in spite of diminished production. This fact may be explained because in undernutrition there is a decrease in the consumption of the hormones by the tissues.