Adrenal Crisis in a Delayed Diagnosis of Sheehan Syndrome

Sheehan syndrome is a well-documented endocrinological disorder that appears to be closely associated as a secondary sequela to postpartum hemorrhage. Due to pregnancy-related physiological adaptations, namely the increase in blood volume but lack of hypertrophic or hyperplastic growth within the pituitary, pregnancy increases the likelihood of infarction of the pituitary. This, coupled with other complications, such as postpartum hemorrhage, can lead to ischemia and permanent damage to the pituitary, and thus, all the downstream endocrinological pathways regulated by the pituitary. Namely, this can include, but is not limited to, adrenal crisis from improper stimulation of steroid secretion. Individuals who have been diagnosed with Sheehan syndrome require lifelong steroid supplementation for appropriate regulation of multiple systems, specifically circulatory. Without appropriate steroid supplementation exogenously, patients can rapidly decline with adverse hypotension, altered mental status, and loss of vascular tone. This case presents a case of a patient who, after extensive chart review and history taking, was found to have had a complicated pregnancy many years ago with multiple transfusions needed to stabilize her and was placed on exogenous steroid management, presenting for adrenal crisis, hypotension, and altered mental status after not taking her home steroid medication.