Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39433700›Full record

SynthesisEndocrine2025

COVID19 infection and vaccination and the risk of pituitary apoplexy: an entangled yarn.

Alberto Ragni, Emilia Biamonte, Beatrice Cavigiolo, Edoardo Luigi Maria Mollero, Giulia Bendotti, Enrico Gabellieri, Paola Leporati, Marco Gallo

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Endocrine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Alberto RagniEndocrinology and Metabolic Diseases Unit, SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo Teaching Hospital, Alessandria, Italy. alberto.ragni@ospedale.al.it.
Emilia BiamonteEndocrinology and Metabolic Diseases Unit, SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo Teaching Hospital, Alessandria, Italy.
Beatrice CavigioloEndocrinology Unit, Maggiore della Carità Teaching Hospital, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy.
Edoardo Luigi Maria MolleroEndocrinology Unit, Maggiore della Carità Teaching Hospital, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy.
Giulia BendottiEndocrinology and Metabolic Diseases Unit, SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo Teaching Hospital, Alessandria, Italy.
Enrico GabellieriEndocrinology and Metabolic Diseases Unit, SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo Teaching Hospital, Alessandria, Italy.
Paola LeporatiEndocrinology and Metabolic Diseases Unit, SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo Teaching Hospital, Alessandria, Italy.
Marco GalloEndocrinology and Metabolic Diseases Unit, SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo Teaching Hospital, Alessandria, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposePituitary apoplexy (PA) has been increasingly reported in association with both infection from and vaccination for COVID19. Our aim was to analyse the available published cases and compare the clinical characteristics in the two groups (infection vs vaccination).

methodsWe systematically reviewed the published literature for all cases of PA associated with COVID19 infection or vaccination. We also presented two cases managed at our Centre.

resultsCollectively, fortythree cases were analysed. Patients with PA after COVID19 vaccination (n = 7), compared with patients with PA after COVID19 infection (n = 36), were significantly younger (p = 0.009) and had a more abrupt onset of PA (p = 0.022), but showed a milder hormonal involvement (p = 0.008) and a lower rate of persistent hypopituitarism during follow-up (p = 0.001). Patients in the vaccination group did not have clinical risk factors for PA, although this difference did not reach statistical significance.

conclusionsPA associated with COVID19 is a rare but clinically significant entity, although pathophysiological details of this association are lacking. Given the significantly different clinical presentation, we could speculate that PA induced by COVID19 vaccination might represent a distinct clinical entity, with different pathophysiological mechanism, compared to PA from COVID19 infection.

Indexed as

COVID-19COVID-19 VaccinesPituitary ApoplexyVaccinationAdultAgedFemaleHumansHypopituitarismMaleMiddle AgedRisk FactorsSARS-CoV-2COVID-19 VaccinesCOVID19COVID19 vaccineHypophysisHypopituitarismPituitary glandTranssphenoidal surgery

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.