An empty sella associated with hypopituitarism in a woman with rheumatoid arthritis.
A 66-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis experienced severe hyponatremia and hypoglycemia of repeated occurrence. Endocrinologic examinations revealed hypopituitarism and the metrizamide computerized tomographic scan showed a primary empty sella. No evidence of a pituitary or suprasellar tumor was obtained. During the 5-year follow-up, she remains well under replacement therapy and there are no signs of an intracranial tumor. The possibility of an autoimmune mechanism linked to the development of hypopituitarism is discussed.
Shirahama
M
M
First Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Tegoshi
S
S
Sugihara
J
J
Nagasawa
K
K
Niho
Y
Y
D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications*; D004652:Empty Sella Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007010:Hyponatremia / Q000150:complications; D007018:Hypopituitarism / Q000150:complications*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed