1......... Name................................................................................................................................................. 2
3......... Authority........................................................................................................................................... 2
5......... Application....................................................................................................................................... 2
6......... Definitions........................................................................................................................................ 2
7......... Kind of injury, disease or death to which this Statement of Principles relates..................... 2
8......... Basis for determining the factors................................................................................................. 3
9......... Factors that must exist................................................................................................................... 3
10....... Relationship to service................................................................................................................... 6
11....... Factors referring to an injury or disease covered by another Statement of Principles....... 6
Schedule 1 - Dictionary.................................................................................................. 7
1......... Definitions........................................................................................................................................ 7
Endnotes.................................................................................................................................... 9
Endnote 1—About the endnotes.............................................................................................................. 9
Endnote 2—Abbreviation key................................................................................................................ 10
Endnote 3—Legislation history.............................................................................................................. 11
Endnote 4—Amendment history........................................................................................................... 12
1 Name
This is the Statement of Principles concerning hypopituitarism (Balance of Probabilities) (No. 12 of 2019).
3 Authority
This instrument is made under subsection 196B(3) of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986.
5 Application
This instrument applies to a claim to which section 120B of the VEA or section 339 of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 applies.
6 Definitions
The terms defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary have the meaning given when used in this instrument.
7 Kind of injury, disease or death to which this Statement of Principles relates
(1) This Statement of Principles is about hypopituitarism and death from hypopituitarism.
Meaning of hypopituitarism
(2) For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, hypopituitarism:
(a) means an endocrine disease characterised by biochemically-documented deficient production of one or more pituitary hormones, sufficient to produce clinical symptoms and signs, or to necessitate pituitary hormone replacement therapy, as a result of loss or damage to pituitary hormone-secreting cells in the pituitary gland, hypothalamus or pituitary stalk; and
(b) excludes heritable and congenital forms of hypopituitarism.
Note 1: Pituitary hormones are growth hormone, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinising hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), prolactin, oxytocin and antidiuretic hormone (ADH).
Note 2: The clinical presentation of hypopituitarism can be acute or chronic, and the order and amount of the specific hormone deficiency depends on the nature and speed of damage to the hypothalamic–pituitary region.
(3) While hypopituitarism attracts ICD‑10‑AM code E23.0, in applying this Statement of Principles the meaning of hypopituitarism is that given in subsection (2).
(4) For subsection (3), a reference to an ICD-10-AM code is a reference to the code assigned to a particular kind of injury or disease in The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM), Tenth Edition, effective date of 1 July 2017, copyrighted by the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority, ISBN 978-1-76007-296-4.
Death from hypopituitarism
(5) For the purposes of this Statement of Principles, hypopituitarism, in relation to a person, includes death from a terminal event or condition that was contributed to by the person's hypopituitarism.
Note: terminal event is defined in the Schedule 1 – Dictionary.
8 Basis for determining the factors
On the sound medical‑scientific evidence available, the Repatriation Medical Authority is of the view that it is more probable than not that hypopituitarism and death from hypopituitarism can be related to relevant service rendered by veterans or members of the Forces under the VEA, or members under the MRCA.
Note: MRCA, relevant service and VEA are defined in the Schedule 1 – Dictionary.
9 Factors that must exist
At least one of the following factors must exist before it can be said that, on the balance of probabilities, hypopituitarism or death from hypopituitarism is connected with the circumstances of a person's relevant service:
(1) having an autoimmune disorder involving the pituitary gland at the time of the clinical onset of hypopituitarism;
(2) having a disorder from the specified list of infiltrative, inflammatory or granulomatous disorders, involving the pituitary gland or hypothalamus, at the time of the clinical onset of hypopituitarism;
Note: specified list of infiltrative, inflammatory or granulomatous disorders is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
(3) having infection with human immunodeficiency virus before the clinical onset of hypopituitarism;
(4) having a viral, bacterial, fungal or protozoal infection of the pituitary gland, hypothalamus, brain or cerebral meninges, within the five years before the clinical onset of hypopituitarism;
(5) having Hantavirus haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome within the five years before the clinical onset of hypopituitarism;
Note: Hantavirus haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
(6) having moderate to severe traumatic brain injury within the ten years before the clinical onset of hypopituitarism;
(7) having a subarachnoid haemorrhage within the ten years before the clinical onset of hypopituitarism;
(8) having haemorrhage or ischaemia involving the pituitary gland or hypothalamus within the ten years before the clinical onset of hypopituitarism;
Note: Haemorrhage or ischaemia of the pituitary gland includes pituitary apoplexy.
(9) having severe peripartum or postpartum haemorrhage before the clinical onset of hypopituitarism;
(10) having surgery involving the pituitary gland, or intracranial surgery, within the ten years before the clinical onset of hypopituitarism;
(11) undergoing a course of therapeutic radiation for cancer, where the pituitary or hypothalamus was in the field of radiation, before the clinical onset of hypopituitarism;
(12) having a space occupying lesion that involves, or impinges on, the pituitary gland or hypothalamus at the time of the clinical onset of hypopituitarism;
(13) taking an immune checkpoint inhibitor or an interferon within the one year before the clinical onset of hypopituitarism;
Note: immune checkpoint inhibitor is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
(14) for lymphocytic hypophysitis only, being pregnant within the six months before the clinical onset of hypopituitarism;
Note: lymphocytic hypophysitis is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
(15) having an autoimmune disorder involving the pituitary gland at the time of the clinical worsening of hypopituitarism;
(16) having a disorder from the specified list of infiltrative, inflammatory or granulomatous disorders, involving the pituitary gland or hypothalamus, at the time of the clinical worsening of hypopituitarism;
Note: specified list of infiltrative, inflammatory or granulomatous disorders is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
(17) having infection with human immunodeficiency virus before the clinical worsening of hypopituitarism;
(18) having a viral, bacterial, fungal or protozoal infection of the pituitary gland, hypothalamus, brain or cerebral meninges, within the five years before the clinical worsening of hypopituitarism;
(19) having Hantavirus haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome within the five years before the clinical worsening of hypopituitarism;
Note: Hantavirus haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
(20) having moderate to severe traumatic brain injury within the ten years before the clinical worsening of hypopituitarism;
(21) having a subarachnoid haemorrhage within the ten years before the clinical worsening of hypopituitarism;
(22) having haemorrhage or ischaemia involving the pituitary gland or hypothalamus within the ten years before the clinical worsening of hypopituitarism;
Note: Haemorrhage or ischaemia of the pituitary gland includes pituitary apoplexy.
(23) having severe peripartum or postpartum haemorrhage before the clinical worsening of hypopituitarism;
(24) having surgery involving the pituitary gland, or intracranial surgery, within the ten years before the clinical worsening of hypopituitarism;
(25) undergoing a course of therapeutic radiation for cancer, where the pituitary or hypothalamus was in the field of radiation, before the clinical worsening of hypopituitarism;
(26) having a space occupying lesion that involves, or impinges on, the pituitary gland or hypothalamus at the time of the clinical worsening of hypopituitarism;
(27) taking an immune checkpoint inhibitor or an interferon within the one year before the clinical worsening of hypopituitarism;
Note: immune checkpoint inhibitor is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
(28) for lymphocytic hypophysitis only, being pregnant within the six months before the clinical worsening of hypopituitarism;
Note: lymphocytic hypophysitis is defined in the Schedule 1 - Dictionary.
(29) inability to obtain appropriate clinical management for hypopituitarism.
10 Relationship to service
(1) The existence in a person of any factor referred to in section 9, must be related to the relevant service rendered by the person.
(2) The factors set out in subsections 9(15) to (9)(29) apply only to material contribution to, or aggravation of, hypopituitarism where the person's hypopituitarism was suffered or contracted before or during (but did not arise out of) the person's relevant service.
11 Factors referring to an injury or disease covered by another Statement of Principles
In this Statement of Principles:
(1) if a factor referred to in section 9 applies in relation to a person; and
(2) that factor refers to an injury or disease in respect of which a Statement of Principles has been determined under subsection 196B(3) of the VEA;
then the factors in that Statement of Principles apply in accordance with the terms of that Statement of Principles as in force from time to time.