Hyperphagia and Obesity
Relationship to Medial Hypothalamic Lesions
- Gastone G. Celesia, MD;
- Carol R. Archer, MD;
- Hyung D. Chung, MD
- From the Departments of Neurology (Dr Celesia) and Pathology (Dr Chung), John Cochran Veterans Administration Hospital, St Louis; the Departments of Neurology (Dr Celesia) and Radiology (Dr Archer), St Louis University; and the Department of Neurology, William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans' Hospital, and the University of Wisconsin, Madison (Dr Celesia).
Abstract
Progressive left hemiparesis followed by face and trunk cutaneous vasodilation and hyperphagia developed in a 28-year-old man. He began eating five to six meals a day and gained 16 kg in 60 days. Computed tomography disclosed a neoplastic lesion involving the midline via the hypothalamus and reaching the contralateral lenticular nucleus. Findings from endocrine studies, including thyroid-stimulating hormone, growth hormone, prolactin, and cortisol serum levels, were normal. Hyperphagia and consequent obesity were associated with bilateral destruction of the ventromedial hypothalamic area; cutaneous vasodilation was related to involvement of the preoptic area.
(JAMA 1981;246:151-153)
Footnotes
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Reprint requests to Department of Neurology, William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans' Hospital, 2500 Overlook Terr, Madison, WI 53705 (Dr Celesia).
