Caring for someone with this diagnosis? Eleplan keeps diagnoses, medications, documents and every specialist in one plan.
Start free with EleplanNon-functioning pituitary adenoma
ORPHA:91349Disease
Also called NFPA
What it is
A rare pituitary tumor originating from normally hormone-producing cells of the adenohypophysis, characterized by a sellar or extrasellar mass manifesting with clinical signs secondary to mass effect, but without evidence for hormonal hypersecretion. Typical manifestations are visual disturbances, headaches, cranial nerve dysfunction, and hypopituitarism but the mass may also be discovered incidentally.
Key facts
- Prevalence
- 1-5 / 10 000 (Europe)
- Age of onset
- Adolescent, Adult, Childhood
- Inheritance
- Not applicable
- Classified as
- Disease
Prevalence figures describe populations, not individuals, and are often estimates from a single study. Where the figure is an incidence or a birth prevalence, it says so.
Signs and symptoms
Common30–79%
36- Abnormal hair quantity
- Abnormality of the menstrual cycle
- Abnormality of the pituitary gland
- Abnormal muscle physiology
- Adrenal insufficiency
- Adrenocorticotropic hormone deficiency
- Adrenocorticotropin deficient adrenal insufficiency
- Anemia of inadequate production
- Anterior hypopituitarism
- Bitemporal hemianopia
- Central adrenal insufficiency
- Decreased circulating ACTH level
- Decreased female libido
- Decreased fertility in females
- Decreased fertility in males
- Decreased response to growth hormone stimulation test
- Easy fatigability
- Erectile dysfunction
- Fatigue
- Female hypogonadism
- Headache
- Hypogonadism
- Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism
- Hypopituitarism
- Hypotension
- Impotence
- Increased circulating gonadotropin level
- Increased intraabdominal fat
- Irregular menstruation
- Male hypogonadism
- Nausea and vomiting
- Pallor
- Pituitary hypothyroidism
- Progressive visual loss
- Secondary growth hormone deficiency
- Vomiting
Sometimes5–29%
21- Abducens palsy
- Blindness
- Central diabetes insipidus
- Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhoea
- Cranial nerve paralysis
- Diabetes insipidus
- Diplopia
- Fourth cranial nerve palsy
and 13 more in this range
These ranges are how often a sign appears across everyone diagnosed, not a prediction for one person — most people have some of these and not others. Orphanet also records findings that are specifically absent in this disease; those are in the data but not listed here.
Genes reported in subtypes
Orphanet records these genes on 2 more specific entries under this disorder, not on this entry itself:
A well-studied disease is usually split into subtypes, and the gene is curated on whichever one the evidence belongs to. Open a subtype to see which gene goes with it.
ICD-10 codes
ICD-10 has no distinct code for most rare diseases, so many are filed under the nearest available one. A shared code identifies the group, not this disease — the ORPHAcode above is what identifies it.
Cross-references
Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999. Data version 2026-06-23. Available under CC BY 4.0. This is a reference, not medical advice.
Powered by Eleplan
A rare diagnosis is just the start. Eleplan keeps the whole care plan in one place.
Diagnoses, medications, documents, appointments, and the whole care team — organized and always in sync, so you are not retelling the same story to every new specialist. With Ellie, your AI care assistant, on top of it. Free to start.