Cushing's Syndrome and a Dead Fetus in Pregnancy: A Clinical Case and Behavior Report

• Published in: Cureus 2024, Vol.16 (3), p.e56769-e56769
• Main Authors: Zhekov, Zhivko, Radeva, Svetlana Y, Yankov, Yanko G
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.56769

Cushing's syndrome is a rare disease that has a different primary etiology, most often due to chronic hypercortisolism. In addition to the defined causes, in contrast to the general population, the observed etiology in pregnant women is a benign adrenocortical adenoma, less often bilateral hyperplasia of the adrenal glands of hypothalamic-pituitary origin or Cushing's disease, and malignant adrenal root adenoma. In this study, we present the case of a 41-year-old pregnant woman experiencing her first pregnancy. Her general diseases from anamnesis were chronic obstructive pyelonephritis, acute rhythm disturbance, somnolence, pituitary adenoidectomy, and adrenalectomy of both adrenal glands. The patient was obese, with a BMI of 31.25 kg/m2. She sought medical help due to fatigue, anuria, vomiting, a fever of up to 38.9°C, and hypertension. In the 18th gestational week, fetal death was diagnosed. The fever persisted for several days, and the patient had a malaise and became intoxicated with evidence of sepsis. She was hospitalized at two medical facilities for clarification. In the Department of Gynecology at the Specialized Hospital for Obstetrics and Gynecology in Varna, Bulgaria, a cesarean section was performed. The patient's condition remained stable after surgery. She was referred to a central intensive care unit for follow-up.