Key result
Hormone replacement therapy resolves massive pericardial effusion and adrenal crisis in Sheehan syndrome.
Why the study?
Diagnosis of Sheehan syndrome is often delayed due to vague symptoms and insidious pituitary dysfunction, highlighting the need to recognize uncharacteristic presentations.
Case Report (n=1)
Sheehan syndrome can present years after postpartum hemorrhage with vague symptoms, and delayed diagnosis can lead to life-threatening complications like adrenal crisis and massive pericardial effusion.
Prompts vigilance for late Sheehan presentations with effusion; single case extends phenotype but leaves practice implications open.
Sheehan syndrome is often a sequela of massive postpartum hemorrhage in resource-poor healthcare settings where blood loss during delivery is often neglected. The diagnosis of this rare but fatal disease is often delayed because the symptoms are vague and the pituitary dysfunction is insidious in nature. We report the case of a 35-year-old multiparous female with anhedonia and raised serum transaminases. She presented with constitutional symptoms. Her last vaginal delivery, six years back, was the last obstetric event that yielded a stillbirth child. She had had amenorrhea since then. Upon further evaluation, she was found to have a massive pericardial effusion, hypopituitarism, and a partially empty sella. This case report highlights the uncharacteristic symptoms that a patient presents with which ultimately lead to delayed diagnosis. Early diagnosis can go miles in improving the quality of life of the patient besides saving the patient from an adrenal crisis.
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Mishra et al. (2023) conducted a case report in Sheehan syndrome (n=1). Hormone replacement therapy was evaluated on Clinical response. A 35-year-old female with Sheehan syndrome presented six years postpartum with adrenal crisis and massive pericardial effusion, and responded well to hormone replacement therapy.
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