Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2017 Nov 16:2017:bcr2016219136.
doi: 10.1136/bcr-2016-219136.

Rare cause of adrenal insufficiency

Affiliations
Case Reports

Rare cause of adrenal insufficiency

Justin Ws Hii et al. BMJ Case Rep. .

Abstract

A 72-year-old man presented with weight loss, night sweats and haemoptysis and was hypotensive. CT imaging showed rapidly enlarging bilateral adrenal masses, and he was found to have primary adrenal insufficiency. An adrenal gland biopsy revealed the rare diagnosis of primary adrenal lymphoma. This unique case highlights possible rare causes of adrenal masses and adrenal insufficiency, their investigation and management principles.

Keywords: adrenal disorders; endocrinology; haematology (incl blood transfusion).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Coronal CT images demonstrating left and right adrenal masses at initial presentation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Coronal CT image demonstrating rapid increase in size of left and right adrenal masses.
Figure 3
Figure 3
FDG-PET scan indicating intensely avid uptake by both adrenal glands. FDG, fluorodeoxyglucose; PET, positron emission tomography.

Similar articles

References

    1. Young WF. The incidentally discovered adrenal mass. N Engl J Med Overseas Ed 2007;356:601–10. 10.1056/NEJMcp065470 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Holm J, Breum L, Stenfeldt K, et al. . Bilateral primary adrenal lymphoma presenting with adrenal insufficiency. Case Rep Endocrinol 2012;2012:1–3. 10.1155/2012/638298 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Horiguchi K, Hashimoto K, Hashizume M, et al. . Primary bilateral adrenal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma demonstrating adrenal failure. Intern Med 2010;49:2241–6. 10.2169/internalmedicine.49.3941 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rashidi A, Fisher SI. Primary adrenal lymphoma: a systematic review. Ann Hematol 2013;92:1583–93. 10.1007/s00277-013-1812-3 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Joseph FG, Cook S, Gowda D. Primary adrenal lymphoma with initial presentation concerning for bilateral adrenal pheochromocytomas. BMJ Case Rep 2017;2017:bcr-2017-220549 10.1136/bcr-2017-220549 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Supplementary concepts