Pituitary apoplexy and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection

Coronavirus disease (SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19) is responsible for a wide variety of extrapulmonary manifestations, among which direct or indirect neurological compromise stands out. Pituitary apoplexy is a clinical and neurosurgical entity of variable severity, usually associated with a pituitary adenoma. Literature is scarce regarding the association between these diseases. This paper reports a case of pituitary apoplexy, manifested concomitantly to the diagnosis of COVID 19 in a patient with unknown pituitary macroadenoma, and its therapeutic management, reviewing the mechanisms potentially underlying the link between both entities.

Automated summary

This paper reports a case of pituitary apoplexy in a patient with COVID-19 and unknown pituitary macroadenoma, and discusses the potential mechanisms underlying the connection between the two conditions.