Idiopathic unilateral adrenal hemorrhage in a term pregnant primigravida female

Idiopathic or spontaneous adrenal hemorrhage is a rare entity and a serious medical condition which is usually underestimated but can result in multiorgan failure, hemodynamic instability and death. It is usually diagnosed postmortem, as it has a nonspecific presentation in view of some other concurrent illness. Pregnancy-induced adrenal hemorrhage in itself is quite rare and a poorly understood disorder. We report here a case of 24-year-old primigravida female at 38 + 6 weeks of gestation who presented with right loin pain associated with fever and chills. Abdominal ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging were performed which revealed presence of hematoma in right suprarenal location. A diagnosis of idiopathic right adrenal hemorrhage was made. The patient was managed conservatively and was stable post delivery. As this condition can have complications which can potentially be life-threatening, clinicians should keep a high suspicion for this disease when a pregnant female presents with acute abdominal pain.

Keywords: Abdominal pain, MRI; Adrenal hemorrhage; Pregnancy.