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Background: Sheehan's Syndrome (SS) is an important cause of hypopituitarism especially in developing countries though it remains underdiagnosed to a great extent. Torrential bleeding after delivery followed by lactation failure and amenorrhoea gives a clue to the diagnosis which is usually made after several years of delivery. Materials and Methods: It was a retrospective observational study conducted by reviewing the case records of 38 cases of SS. The age, anthropometric measurements, signs and symptoms, biochemical parameters, hormone levels and imaging reports were examined and analyzed. Results: The mean age at presentation was 36.5 years because there was a delay of 8.4 years from last delivery before diagnosis could be made. Ninety percent patients presented with lactation failure. Anaemia, hypotension, hypogonadism, hypothyroidism, and altered lipid profile were the most common findings. The mean systolic blood pressure (BP) was 80.95 mm and diastolic BP was 51.6 mm of Hg at the time of presentation. Hyponatremia was the most common electrolyte abnormality noted and low HDL was the commonest lipid abnormality. Conclusion: A large percentage of patients presented with amenorrhea, lactation failure, and decreased or absent axillary/pubic hair. Shock, anemia, and hyponatremia were also common symptoms among the patients studied. The diagnosis of SS rests upon a thorough history taking of the postpartum events in cases presenting with hypopituitarism irrespective of the age at presentation. Proper antenatal care with exclusive institutional deliveries can reduce the prevalence of SS in developing countries.

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Sheehan's syndrome is a life-threatening endocrine emergency seen in postpartum females secondary to ischemic pituitary necrosis. It is a frequent cause of hypopituitarism in developing countries that occurs secondary to postpartum haemorrhage (PPH). Patients with Sheehan's syndrome often present with organ dysfunctions in critical care settings, secondary to stressors precipitating the underlying hormonal deficiencies. The initial clinical picture of Sheehan's syndrome may mimic some other disease, leading to misdiagnosis and diagnostic delay. Strict vigilance, timely diagnosis, and appropriate management are essential to avoid diagnostic delay and to improve the patient outcome. In this case series, we describe 5 cases of previously undiagnosed Sheehan's syndrome (including young, middle aged and postmenopausal females) that presented to critical care and emergency settings with organ failures.

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Pituitary apoplexy (PA) is a rare clinical syndrome due to pituitary hemorrhage or infarction. It is characterized by the sudden onset of one or more of the following: severe headache, visual disturbance, nausea/vomiting, and or altered mental status. Most commonly, PA occurs in an underlying pituitary adenoma. The pathophysiology is not fully understood, but it is thought to involve elements of increased metabolic demand and/or compromise to the vasculature of the pituitary or pituitary tumor. Several risk factors have been described. Stabilization of the patient on presentation, replacement of hormonal deficiencies, and reversal of electrolyte abnormalities are the recommended initial steps in the management of patients with PA. Surgical decompression of the mass effect had been the recommended treatment for patients with PA; however, retrospective studies of patients with PA have demonstrated similar outcomes when a conservative approach is applied. This suggests that in highly selected clinical scenarios (mild visual deficit and improving symptoms), conservative management is possible. Further studies, however, are necessary to better stratify patients but are limited by the rarity of the condition and the acuity.

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PURPOSE: Hypopituitarism (HP) is an uncommon consequence of Russell's viper envenomation (RVE). Delayed hypopituitarism (DHP) presents months to years after recovering from snake bites (SB). The clinical presentation, manifestations, and outcomes of DHP following RVE have not been systematically studied. Here, we present a case series of HP following RVE with delayed diagnosis and conduct a literature review. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed data of eight DHP cases and literature to outline the presentation, manifestations, hormonal profiles, and radiological features of DHP following RVE. RESULTS: Three men and five women, with a mean age at diagnosis of 39.5 ± 11.6 years, were included. The mean duration between snake bite (SB) and HP diagnosis was 8.1 ± 3.6 years. Secondary hypothyroidism and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism were present in all patients. Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and secondary hypocortisolism were present in 6 (75%) patients. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed empty sella and partially empty sella in three patients each (75%). The literature review revealed additional 20 DHP cases (mean age at diagnosis 32.4 ± 10.8 years), with 65% of patients being men. Fatigue, reduced libido, and loss of weight were the commonest symptoms among men. Secondary amenorrhea, fatigue, and loss of appetite were common manifestations among women. Acute kidney injury, GHD, secondary hypothyroidism, hypogonadism, and adrenal insufficiency were reported in 75%, 79%, 95%, 100%, and 85% of patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: DHP is an important complication of RVE, and a delay in its diagnosis is associated with significant morbidity. Patients with RVE should be followed up for a long term to identify DHP.

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Sheehan's syndrome (SS) is postpartum hypopituitarism caused by necrosis of the pituitary gland. It is usually the result of severe hypotension or shock caused by massive hemorrhage during or after delivery. Patients with SS have varying degrees of anterior pituitary hormone deficiency. Its frequency is decreasing worldwide and it is a rare cause of hypopituitarism in developed countries owing to advances in obstetric care. However, it is still frequent in underdeveloped and developing countries. SS often evolves slowly and hence is diagnosed late. History of postpartum hemorrhage, failure to lactate and cessation of menses are important clues to the diagnosis. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are important to reduce morbidity and mortality of the patients.

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Antepartum pituitary necrosis is a rare medical condition that has only been reported in pregnant women with type I diabetes attributable to diabetes-related vasculopathy and hypercoagulability. We present for the first time a case of antepartum pituitary necrosis occurring in an uncontrolled gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) patient. The patient was a 32-yr-old woman at 33 weeks and 2 days of gestation. She suffered from severe headache, blurred vision, dizziness, and vomiting. Her baby was delivered by Cesarean section. The brain magnetic resonance images revealed pituitary necrosis. This suggests that pituitary gland necrosis may also complicate GDM pregnancy when glucose levels are uncontrolled.

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Antepartum pituitary necrosis is a rare medical condition that has only been reported in pregnant women with type I diabetes attributable to diabetes-related vasculopathy and hypercoagulability. We present for the first time a case of antepartum pituitary necrosis occurring in an uncontrolled gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) patient. The patient was a 32-yr-old woman at 33 weeks and 2 days of gestation. She suffered from severe headache, blurred vision, dizziness, and vomiting. Her baby was delivered by Cesarean section. The brain magnetic resonance images revealed pituitary necrosis. This suggests that pituitary gland necrosis may also complicate GDM pregnancy when glucose levels are uncontrolled.

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Introducción: la necrosis hipofisaria posparto o síndrome de Sheehan se presenta secundaria a una hemorragia obstétrica, ocasionando un colapso circulatorio intenso el cual, a su vez, predispone a la isquemia de la hipófisis aumentada de tamaño. Objetivo: presentar un caso clínico de una paciente quien consultó por manifestaciones tardías de este síndrome y hacer una revisión de la literatura. Metodología: se buscó información en la bases de datos de PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane y SciELO; así como en referencias de artículos de revista y textos principalmente de los últimos cinco años. Seguidamente, se tomaron los siete artículos más relevantes según la calificación de la revista en donde fueron publicados. Resultados: la característica clínica del síndrome de Sheehan que se manifiesta con mayor frecuencia es la incapacidad para lactar debido a una producción insuficiente de prolactina. Otras manifestaciones tardías incluyen: secreción inadecuada de la hormona antidiurética y deficiencias en la secreción de cortisol, de hormona tiroidea y de gonadotrofinas. Es importante que el obstetra y el médico general sepan reconocer este síndrome, ya que la pérdida aguda del funcionamiento de la adenohipófisis puede ser de mal pronóstico si no se realiza un reemplazo hormonal adecuado. Además, el buen control hormonal evita o disminuye las complicaciones metabólicas y cardiovasculares. Conclusión: el síndrome de Sheehan es una enfermedad poco frecuente, la cual es difícil de diagnosticar tempranamente. Asimismo, requiere una terapia de reemplazo hormonal con controles permanentes clínicos y paraclínicos.

Introduction: postpartum pituitary necrosis, or Sheehan’s syndrome, occurs following obstetric haemorrhage which causes intense circulatory collapse, thereby predisposing pituitary ischemia leading to this organ becoming enlarged (the posterior pituitary is generally affected). This document presents a clinical case of a patient who consulted due to late manifestations of this syndrome. A literature review is also made. Objective: presenting the case of a patient who consulted for late manifestations of Sheehan’s syndrome and reviewing the pertinent literature. Methodology: information was sought in the PubMed / Medline, Cochrane, SciELO databases and references from articles in journals and texts (mainly from the last five years) were also taken into account. The seven most relevant articles were taken according to the impact of the journal in which they were published. Results: the most frequently found clinical characteristic was an inability to lactate due to insufficient prolactin production. The most common clinical feature found was an inability to breastfeed due to insufficient prolactin production. Other manifestations included inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion and cortisol, thyroid hormone and gonadotropin secretion deficiencies. Obstetricians and GPs should be able to recognise this syndrome and know about its management as the acute loss of adenohypophysis functioning may have a poor prognosis without timely and suitable hormone replacement. Good hormone control prevents or decreases metabolic and cardiovascular complications. Conclusion: this is a rare syndrome in which early diagnosis is difficult and requires hormone replacement therapy with ongoing clinical and laboratory controls.

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