Abstract
Introduction: Polyglandular Autoimmune Syndrome Type II (PAS-2) is a rare disorder characterized by two or more endocrine diseases (primary adrenal insufficiency, autoimmune thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes). Of these, the most common is autoimmune thyropathy, followed by Type 1 Diabetes (1). These endocrinopathies rarely have concurrent onset. This case reports a 22-year-old male, recently recovered from severe pneumonia, who presented to the Emergency Department in acute adrenal crisis and was diagnosed with PAS-2.
Case: A 22-year-old male with past medical history of celiac disease presented with abdominal discomfort, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and dizziness for 1–2 weeks. Review of systems included a 20-pound weight loss over several months. Recent history included a hospitalization at another facility three weeks prior for pneumonia and septic shock requiring admission to the ICU and vasopressor treatment. He was not discharged on any medications. He was afebrile with heart rate of 105/min, blood pressure 78/48 mm Hg and BMI of 17.2. Physical exam revealed dry mucous membranes and mild diffuse abdominal tenderness. Skin was warm and dry without hyperpigmentation. Laboratory values included sodium 123 (135 - 146 mmol/L), potassium 6.8 (3.3 - 4.8 mmol/L), glucose 47 (70 - 100 mg/dL), TSH 37.67 (0.3 - 5.00 uIU/mL), and FT4 0.7 (0.7 - 1.7 ng/dL). He was started on fluids and intravenous hydrocortisone. Cortisol and ACTH levels drawn prior to the initiation of steroids resulted at 0.6 (6–20 mcg/dl) and 977 (9 - 46 pg/mL) respectively. Additional labs included: aldosterone < 1 ng/dL, 21 hydroxylase antibody positive, TPO antibody > 1000 (0 - 100 Units) and GAD-65 antibody > 47 IU/mL (<5 IU/mL). Levothyroxine was initiated after hydrocortisone. Blood glucose was elevated during hospitalization, peaking at 227 mg/dL. He was discharged on prednisone, fludrocortisone and levothyroxine. At 2 week follow up, he reported overall improvement in health and was pleased with a weight gain of 12 lbs. Blood glucose remained mildly elevated (123 - 143 mg/dL).
Conclusion: The patient had pneumonia and septic shock septic at an outside hospital three weeks prior to presentation. There was no record of steroid administration or suspicion of adrenal insufficiency. We postulate that his severe illness contributed to significant depletion of his adrenal reserve, and therefore he presented to our facility a short time later in overt adrenal crisis. Adrenal crisis is unusual to be the first presentation of PAS-2. It is important to have a high index of suspicion for adrenal insufficiency and PAS-2 in patients presenting with severe illness or hypotension who have known autoimmune disorders.
Reference: 1. Kahaly, G.J., Frommer, L. Polyglandular autoimmune syndromes. J Endocrinol Invest. 2018; 41: 91–98.
Type II polyglandular autoimmune syndrome: a case of Addison’s disease precipitated by use of levothyroxine
