Did drug therapy contribute?: Severe pelvic organ prolapse followed initiation of high-dose glucocorticoid treatment

摘要

A healthy 68-year-old woman who had had 3 viable offspring and who had undergone hysterectomy had a 3-year history of mild vaginal prolapse. The condition was not bothersome. After being diagnosed with temporal arteritis, her rheumatologist began treating her with oral prednisone, 100 mg daily. Within 1 month of corticosteroid initiation, she experienced complete vaginal-vault eversion. The vaginal wall quickly became ulcerated, and she was unable to ambulate because of terrible pain that was related to the massive prolapse. Two months later, she was severely debilitated and confined to a scooter. During this time period, she also experienced steroid-induced diabetes mellitus and osteopenia.