Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency Initially Misdiagnosed as Depression : A Case Report

우울증으로 오진되었던 이차성 부신기능저하 : 증례 보고

The abnormalities in Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA) axis are associated with many psychiatric symptoms including depression. We present a report of a 71 year old man who was admitted to the psychiatric department presenting symptoms of headache, avolition, loss of energy, psychomotor retardation, poor appetite, insomnia, anxiety resulting from adrenal insufficiency and hypopituitarism. Hypothyroidism and electrolyte disturbance were managed and headache, insomnia, anxiety, GI symptoms were improved. But he remained in anergic state. After discharge, he was readmitted to infection department with high fever and drowsy mentality. Adrenal insufficiency was recognized and he was treated with corticosteroid replacement therapy. Finally his diagnosis was made as panhypopituitarism and overall symptoms were resolved. In this case, we showed how the atypical symptoms resulting from hypopituitarism develop and progress. Hypothyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, and growth hormone deficiency resulting secondarily from panhypopituitarism were associated with various nonspecific symptoms such as loss of energy, fatigue, insomnia, weight loss, decreased appetite etc. In clinical situation, differential diagnosis with depression is needed when clinicians were met a patient with these nonspecific symptoms. It is important that laboratory tests and differential diagnosis with endocrine diseases should be conducted, especially in geriatric patients with nonspecific symptoms like anergia, fatigue, poor appetite and so on.

연구목적: 시상하부-뇌하수체-부신 축의 이상은 다양한 정신과적 증상과 연관이 있으며, 우울 증상도 나타날 수 있다. 저자들은 뇌하수체 기능저하 및 이차성 부신기능저하와 연관된 두통, 무의욕, 무기력, 정신운동 저하, 식욕 저하, 불면 및 걱정 등의 우울 증상을 주소로 정신과에 입원한 71세 남자 환자에 대해 증례 보고하고자 한다. 환자는 정신과 입원 후 두통, 불면, 불안 및 소화기 증상은 호전되었으나, 무기력감은 지속되었다. 퇴원 후 고열 및 의식 혼탁으로 감염내과에 재입원을 하였으며, 부신기능 저하소견을 동반한 범뇌하수체기능저하증이 진단되었고, 코티졸 투여로 전반적인 증상이 호전되었다. 뇌하수체 기능저하에 따른 갑상선 기능저하, 부신기능저하, 성장호르몬 저하 등은 무기력, 피곤, 불면, 체중 감소, 식욕 저하 등의 여러 가지 비특이적 증상들을 나타내고, 임상에서 이러한 비특이적 우울 증상을 가진 환자의 경우, 내분비 질환에 대한 감별이 필요하다.