[Pituitary crisis and acute renal failure--a case report]

Based on a case report, the combined occurrence of a hypopituitary crisis and acute renal failure (ARF) is discussed. Aetiologically, the patient's disease dates back to an operation on the pituitary gland 40 years previously followed by a panhypopituitarism. The course of the disease presented initial symptoms which did not suggest a hypopituitary crisis to the first physician. The patient was hospitalized primarily on the tentative diagnosis of encephalitis. Subsequently, both laboratory findings and sonography of the abdomen pointed to chronic renal failure. The severity of the clinical course led to the transfer of the patient to our hospital for haemodialysis. Examination of the soporous patient revealed in addition to symptoms of ARF based on ambilateral pyelonephritic nephrocirrhosis typical cardinal symptoms of an endocrine insufficiency. Sopor, serious exsiccosis, pale, cool, pigmentless skin, deficiency of axillary and pubic hair, gonadal atrophy, hypotonia, hypothermia, bradypnoea and bradycardia as well as anamnesis of the patient substantiated the tentative diagnosis of a hypophysical coma based on hypopituitarism, clinically dominated by hypothyroidism. Following an immediately launched hormone substitution in combination with haemodialysis the state of the patient improved. However, during the fifth haemodialysis cardiac arrest occurred, the cause of which was put down to a dysequilibrium syndrome. The cause, however, must be seen in a continuing stress situation, inadequate hormone substitution and in sedation with diazepam. After reanimation the patient was transferred to the ICU.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)