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Case Reports
. 2020 Dec;48(12):300060520980590.
doi: 10.1177/0300060520980590.

Primary adrenal insufficiency due to adrenal tuberculosis: a case report

Jie Yu  1 , Yingli Lu  1 , Bing Han  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Primary adrenal insufficiency due to adrenal tuberculosis: a case report

Jie Yu et al. J Int Med Res. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

We report a case of primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) due to adrenal tuberculosis with no findings of active tuberculosis in the lung of a 51-year-old female patient. The patient was admitted with a 10-year history of skin hyperpigmentation and was diagnosed with PAI. The primary cause was adrenal tuberculosis. An adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation test, T-Spot test and adrenal computed tomography scan were used to confirm the diagnosis. The patient's status improved, and the hyperpigmentation subsided after 15 months of treatment with anti-tuberculosis drugs and cortisol replacement therapy.

Keywords: Primary adrenal insufficiency; adrenal tuberculosis; autoimmune adrenal disease; cortisol replacement therapy; extra-pulmonary tuberculosis; hyperpigmentation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Clinical manifestation of the 51-year-old female patient reported in this case. Hyperpigmentation in the hands and nails (a) of the patient before and (b) after treatment with anti-tuberculosis drugs [isoniazid (0.3 g/day, orally) and rifampin (0.6 g/day, orally)] and cortisol replacement therapy [hydrocortisone (12.5 mg twice a day, orally)]. Computed tomography images of the adrenal gland (c) before and (d) after treatment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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