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Endocrine Abstracts (2013) 32 P871 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.32.P871

1Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden; 2Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden; 3Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabiolism, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden.


Background: The number of studies on the incidence of pituitary adenomas (PAs) is limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the annual incidence of PAs in Västra Götaland, Sweden, with a targeted population of 1.6 million inhabitants.

Patients and methods: Data from adult patients diagnosed with PA in 2001–2011, living in the Västra Götaland County, were collected from the Swedish Pituitary Registry (SPR). In addition, medical records on all patients diagnosed with PA at the six hospitals in the region were reviewed. Those patients who fulfilled a predefined criteria of PA, and had not been registered in the SPR previously, were also included in the analysis. In total, 592 patients were included in the study. Age standardized incidence rate (SIR), given as rate/100 000 inhabitants (95% confidence intervals), was calculated using the WHO 2000 standard population as a reference.

Results: The total SIR for PA during the study period was 3.9/100 000 (3.6–4.3). The SIR in men was 3.3/100 000 (2.9–3.7) and increased with increasing age. In women, the SIR was 4.7/100 000 (4.1–5.3) with the highest incidence in the ages 25–34 years, corresponding to the high frequency of prolactinomas. NFPA was the most common PA (54.1%) with SIR of 1.8/100 000 (1.6–2.0). Prolactinomas were detected in 32% (SIR 1.6/100 000 (1.3–1.9)), acromegaly in 9% (SIR 0.35/100 000 (0.25–0.45)), Cushing’s disease in 4% (SIR 0.18/100 000 (0.11–0.25)) and TSH-producing adenomas in 0.7% (SIR 0.03/100 000 (0.00–0.05)). The frequency of macroadenomas for NFPA, prolactinomas, GH-, ACTH- and TSH-producing adenomas were 82, 37, 77, 28, and 100%, respectively. The life-time risk of PAs in men was 0.27% (0.24–0.31) and in women 0.29% (0.26–0.33).

Conclusion: Hereby, the largest study on the incidence of PAs is presented. The study, conducted during times of frequent use of medical imaging, confirms an increased incidence of PAs compared to older studies.

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