Sidonia and Nicu de Barcsy: a famous mother with post-partum hirsutism after giving birth to a famous son with idiopathic short stature.

Abstract

Summary: At the end of the 19th century, an 18-year-old lady gave birth to a well-proportioned, though very small, son. After delivery, the mother developed a full-grown beard, whereas the son always remained of small stature. The mother developed diabetes mellitus and died, aged 59, from a complicated severe cold. The son died at the age of 91 because of chronic kidney disease. The differential diagnosis in the son is isolated growth hormone deficiency. The mother might have suffered luteoma of pregnancy, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), or Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor(s). The two cases are apparently coincidental/not related in pathophysiology.

Learning points: Hirsutism occurring directly postpartum can have several causes. Patients with isolated growth hormone deficiency can live a long life without the substitution of growth hormone. Coincidence does not necessarily imply correlation. In the past, patients with endocrine disorders like severe hirsutism or small stature were employed at circuses and fairs to entertain the audience as curiosities.