Prevalence and incidence of pituitary adenomas.

Reliable epidemiological data on pituitary adenomas (PAs) are of major importance for estimating the burden on the Health Care System and for designing optimal resource distribution for clinical care and for research activities. Cross-sectional studies from Switzerland, Belgium and the UK have shown that PAs have a prevalence of 78 to 94 cases/100,000 inhabitants (three to five times higher than previously thought). Furthermore, data from Northern Finland show an overall standardized incidence rate of 4 per 100,000 with the incidentally discovered ones demonstrating an increase. The enhanced awareness of pituitary disease and the recent advances in the diagnostic technologies have contributed to the earlier recognition of PAs. Studies from diverse populations and of larger sample size are needed to expand our insight on the epidemiology of PAs.