Exacerbation of Rheumatoid Arthritis after Removal of Adrenal Adenoma in Cushing's Syndrome

A 46-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis had been on non-steroidal antiinflammatory agents for eighteen years until she developed cushingoid features and hypertension resistant to antihypertensive drugs. She had high plasma cortisol and 24 h urinary 17-hydroxycorticosteroids (17HCS) which were not suppressed by 8 mg dexamethasone per day for two days. The circadian rhythm of plasma cortisol was absent and plasma ACTH concentrations were suppressed before and after intravenous administration of CRH. Abdominal computed tomography demonstrated a tumor (3.0 x 3.0 x 2.3 cm) in the right adrenal gland and a 131I-6 beta-19-nor-methylcholesterol scan revealed marked uptake on the same side. The patient underwent a right adrenalectomy and the diagnosis of a cortisol secreting benign adenoma was histologically confirmed. Blood pressure declined and cushingoid features regressed, but three months after the operation and while the patient was on replacement, she complained of pain on motion, marked tenderness and swelling of fingers, wrists, elbows, knees and foot joints, and had very high rheumatoid factors. Treatment with immunosuppressive drugs and oral and intraarticular administration of glucocorticoids were necessary to relieve the clinical symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. In summary, we report a patient with rheumatoid arthritis and Cushing's syndrome due to an adrenal adenoma, in whom rheumatoid arthritis was exacerbated after curing the Cushing's syndrome. This suggests that it is imperative to follow the development and/or course of autoimmune diseases after the treatment of Cushing's syndrome.