A 45-year-old female patient with Sheehan’s syndrome presenting with imminent adrenal crisis: a case report
Abstract Background Sheehan's syndrome is hypopituitarism due to pituitary gland necrosis resulting from hemorrhagic shock during pregnancy. It is a rare complication with varied manifestations and a considerable delay in diagnosis. Case presentation We describe the case of a 45-year-old Ethiop...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2021-05-01
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| Series: | Journal of Medical Case Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13256-021-02827-0 |
| _version_ | 1818943395312173056 |
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| author | Abere Genetu Yibeltal Anemen Sinshaw Abay Simachew Anemen Bante Kebadnew Mulatu Mihrete |
| author_facet | Abere Genetu Yibeltal Anemen Sinshaw Abay Simachew Anemen Bante Kebadnew Mulatu Mihrete |
| author_sort | Abere Genetu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Sheehan's syndrome is hypopituitarism due to pituitary gland necrosis resulting from hemorrhagic shock during pregnancy. It is a rare complication with varied manifestations and a considerable delay in diagnosis. Case presentation We describe the case of a 45-year-old Ethiopian woman who presented with generalized fatigue for 18 years which progressed to anorexia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain of 6 years' duration, for which she was treated symptomatically throughout these years. Complete clinical evaluation, endocrine studies, and pituitary magnetic resonance scan revealed hypopituitarism secondary to Sheehan’s syndrome. She had significant improvement noted following the commencement of hormone replacement therapy. Conclusion Previous case reports describe patients being diagnosed after one or more complications from long-term panhypopituitarism. The present case illustrates that undiagnosed Sheehan's syndrome is associated with long-term morbidity, and we want to emphasize that a high index of suspicion is crucial for the early diagnosis of the syndrome in routine clinical visits in order to prevent complications arising with delayed diagnosis. Awareness among clinicians is also essential so that such cases are not overlooked, especially in developing nations, where home delivery is still common and obstetric care is limited. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T07:26:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5e5645ede2a6417cb2b344e98512559a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1752-1947 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T07:26:39Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Medical Case Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-5e5645ede2a6417cb2b344e98512559a2022-12-21T19:48:32ZengBMCJournal of Medical Case Reports1752-19472021-05-011511510.1186/s13256-021-02827-0A 45-year-old female patient with Sheehan’s syndrome presenting with imminent adrenal crisis: a case reportAbere Genetu0Yibeltal Anemen1Sinshaw Abay2Simachew Anemen Bante3Kebadnew Mulatu Mihrete4Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar UniversityDepartment of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar UniversityDepartment of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar UniversityDepartment of Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar UniversityAbstract Background Sheehan's syndrome is hypopituitarism due to pituitary gland necrosis resulting from hemorrhagic shock during pregnancy. It is a rare complication with varied manifestations and a considerable delay in diagnosis. Case presentation We describe the case of a 45-year-old Ethiopian woman who presented with generalized fatigue for 18 years which progressed to anorexia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain of 6 years' duration, for which she was treated symptomatically throughout these years. Complete clinical evaluation, endocrine studies, and pituitary magnetic resonance scan revealed hypopituitarism secondary to Sheehan’s syndrome. She had significant improvement noted following the commencement of hormone replacement therapy. Conclusion Previous case reports describe patients being diagnosed after one or more complications from long-term panhypopituitarism. The present case illustrates that undiagnosed Sheehan's syndrome is associated with long-term morbidity, and we want to emphasize that a high index of suspicion is crucial for the early diagnosis of the syndrome in routine clinical visits in order to prevent complications arising with delayed diagnosis. Awareness among clinicians is also essential so that such cases are not overlooked, especially in developing nations, where home delivery is still common and obstetric care is limited.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13256-021-02827-0Case reportPanhypopituitarismSheehan’s syndromePostpartum hemorrhageSecondary adrenal insufficiencyAdrenal crisis |
| spellingShingle | Abere Genetu Yibeltal Anemen Sinshaw Abay Simachew Anemen Bante Kebadnew Mulatu Mihrete A 45-year-old female patient with Sheehan’s syndrome presenting with imminent adrenal crisis: a case report Journal of Medical Case Reports Case report Panhypopituitarism Sheehan’s syndrome Postpartum hemorrhage Secondary adrenal insufficiency Adrenal crisis |
| title | A 45-year-old female patient with Sheehan’s syndrome presenting with imminent adrenal crisis: a case report |
| title_full | A 45-year-old female patient with Sheehan’s syndrome presenting with imminent adrenal crisis: a case report |
| title_fullStr | A 45-year-old female patient with Sheehan’s syndrome presenting with imminent adrenal crisis: a case report |
| title_full_unstemmed | A 45-year-old female patient with Sheehan’s syndrome presenting with imminent adrenal crisis: a case report |
| title_short | A 45-year-old female patient with Sheehan’s syndrome presenting with imminent adrenal crisis: a case report |
| title_sort | 45 year old female patient with sheehan s syndrome presenting with imminent adrenal crisis a case report |
| topic | Case report Panhypopituitarism Sheehan’s syndrome Postpartum hemorrhage Secondary adrenal insufficiency Adrenal crisis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13256-021-02827-0 |
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