Ectopic ACTH syndrome in a patient with Crohn's disease.

ABSTRACT

We present the case of a 62-year-old man with Crohn's disease who consulted for abdominal pain and lower limbs edema. The patient developed Cushing's syndrome due to ectopic secretion of ACTH. Diagnostic imaging tests showed multiple metastatic liver lesions and asymmetric thickening of the ileum, that was suspected as the primary tumor. This tumor produced destabilizing gastrointestinal bleeding and an urgent surgical resection was performed. The histopathological study of the resection specimen confirmed a grade 3 neuroendocrine tumor.