[Psychiatric presentation of hypopituitarism in an elderly patient].

An 85-year old woman presented with psychiatric symptoms and was diagnosed as having the rare syndrome of hypopituitarism. The illness was caused by a traumatic brain injury she had suffered 25 years earlier. The case shows that somatic or psychiatric symptoms can appear many years after destruction of the hypophysis, and emphasises how important it is to conduct a physical examination and to trace a patient's medical history as far back as possible.