SENILE AMYLOIDOSES OF THE PITUITARY AND ADRENAL-GLANDS - MORPHOLOGICAL AND STATISTICAL INVESTIGATIONS

The pituitary and adrenal glands are a functional endocrine unit affec ted by local or organ-limited senile amyloid syndromes. These occur as interstitial (pituitary only) or intracellular (pituitary and adrenal ) varieties. The pituitary and right adrenal glands of each of 108 con secutive autopsy cases of individuals aged 85 years and over were inve stigated for the prevalence, distribution and immunostaining character istics of local amyloid. Intracellular amyloid was detected in 77 (71% ) pituitaries and 73 (68%) adrenals. Interstitial amyloid was found in 86 pituitaries (80%). Immunohistochemical studies, investigating diff erent amyloid fibril proteins, amyloid P component, ubiquitin, interme diate filaments and pituitary hormones, failed to demonstrate any simi larities, and a common origin is unlikely. Statistical analyses demons trated significant correlations between the occurrences of all three l ocal amyloids. The clinical and histopathological significance of loca l pituitary and adrenal amyloid remains obscure. The results suggested that the pathogenesis of the local senile amyloidoses of the pituitar y and adrenals may be influenced by a common, still uncharacterized va riable. It is not clear whether this variable also contributes to the pathogenesis of other senile amyloid syndromes, such as those associat ed with Alzheimers' disease.