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
. 2018 Jun 18;10(6):e2830.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.2830.

A Rare Case of Bilateral Adrenal Hemorrhage

Zainab Fatima  1 , Usman Tariq  2 , Amina Khan  3 , Muhammad Saad Sohail  4 , Abu Baker Sheikh  4 , Shimron I Bhatti  5 , Kamran Munawar  6
Affiliations
Case Reports

A Rare Case of Bilateral Adrenal Hemorrhage

Zainab Fatima et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Bilateral adrenal hemorrhage (BAH) is a rare but potentially fatal entity that carries a mortality rate of 15%. Most cases are associated with sepsis, antiphospholipid syndrome, the use of anticoagulants, as well as trauma and surgery. In this case report, we present a case of BAH in a previously healthy man with a recent history of corticosteroid use. Our case emphasizes the ambiguous clinical presentation of BAH, which poses a challenge in the establishment of a correct diagnosis. We also illustrate the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and subsequent therapeutic approach to this rare clinical entity.

Keywords: adrenal hemorrhage; bilateral adrenal hemorrhage; rare; secondary to corticosteroids.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Chest X-ray
Red arrow: Hilar and perihilar interstitial prominences. Yellow arrows: Bilateral nodular opacities.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen
Red arrows: Enlarged right adrenal gland with a heterogenous hyperdense area. A similar hetrogenous lesion is present in lateral limb of left adrenal gland.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen
Red arrows: Enlarged right adrenal gland with a hetrogenous hyperdense area. A similar hetrogenous lesion is present in lateral limb of left adrenal gland.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Idiopathic bilateral adrenal hemorrhage in a 63-year-old male: A case report and review of the literature. Dhawan N, Bodukam VK, Thakur K, Singh A, Jenkins D, Bahl J. Case Reports Urol. 2015;2015:503638. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Post-operative bilateral adrenal haemorrhage: A case report. McNicol RE, Bradley A, Griffin J, Duncan G, Eriksen CA, Guthrie GJ. Int J Surg Case Rep. 2014;5:1145–1147. - PMC - PubMed
    1. The significance of adrenal hemorrhage: Undiagnosed Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome, a case series. Tormos LM, Schandl CA. J Forensic Sci. 2013;58:1071–1074. - PubMed
    1. Adrenal crisis secondary to bilateral adrenal haemorrhage after hemicolectomy. Logaraj A, Tsang VH, Kabir S, Ip JC. Endocrinol Diabetes Metab Case Rep. 2016;2016:16–48. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Imaging of nontraumatic hemorrhage of the adrenal gland. Kawashima A, Sandler CM, Ernst RD, et al. Radiographics. 1999;19:949–963. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources