Self-perception of cognitive function among patients with active acromegaly, controlled acromegaly, and non-functional pituitary adenoma: a pilot study

Pituitary adenomas (PAs) represent 15 % of all brain tumors. One-sixth of these are reported to cause acromegaly via excess growth hormone secretion. These tumors have been associated with multiple comorbidities, including neuropsychiatric and cognitive dysfunction. We aimed to assess patient perception of cognitive deficits and the relationship of cognitive changes to active acromegaly (AA) versus controlled acromegaly (CA) versus non-functional PAs (NFPA). A modified FACT-Cog survey was used, which focused on the prevalence and severity of perceived dysfunction in five areas of cognitive function: ability to learn, concentration/distractibility, mental agility, memory and recall, and verbal recall. Patient perception of current health and health change over the previous 12 months was also assessed. The overall perceived prevalence and severity of cognitive dysfunction were the highest among NFPA groups, particularly in the areas of mental agility, verbal recall, and memory/recall. Patients with AA reported greater prevalence and severity of dysfunction with respect to concentration/distractibility and ability to learn. Patients with AA reported the best overall current health, though patients with CA reported the greatest improvement in health over the previous year. These findings may indicate that PAs can affect cognitive function regardless of whether excess growth hormone is present. Acromegaly and NFPA patients perceive specific areas of cognitive dysfunction that may require further evaluation and treatment. Further research may be useful regarding patient quality of life, patient functionality during normal daily activities, and perceived dysfunction despite biological disease control.