CASE-REPORT - POSTPARTUM HYPOPITUITARISM IN A PATIENT WITH SICKLE-CELL TRAIT

The authors report a case of hypopituitarism in a 28-year-old woman wh o appeared to develop this in conjunction with a pregnancy 4 years pre viously. The patient had clear-cut evidence of secondary hypoadrenalis m and secondary hypothyroidism. A magnetic resonance imaging scan reve aled a partially empty sella of normal size. The patient had no prior evidence of peripartum hypotension or other obstetrical catastrophe. H er only recognizable risk factor was the presence of sickle cell trait . The authors speculate that her sickle trait predisposed her to devel op pituitary infarction during her first pregnancy. The authors also r eview three previous cases linking sickle cell syndromes with hypopitu itarism and suggest that this case further supports the concept that s ickle cell syndromes can predispose affected individuals to pituitary infarction and ultimately to subsequent hypopituitarism.