Acute intestinal pseudo-obstruction secondary to Sjogren’s syndrome in pregnancy: a case report and literature review

BACKGROUND: Intestinal pseudo-obstruction (IPO) is a rare disease, and its clinical manifestations can resemble mechanical intestinal obstruction leading to unnecessary and potentially harmful surgery. Certain autoimmune diseases have been associated with IPO, however, cases secondary to Sjögren’s syndrome (SjS) are especially rare. CASE PRESENTATION: We described the first case of SjS-associated acute IPO in pregnancy, which was successfully treated with combined immunosuppressive therapy and resulted in an uneventful caesarean delivery. CONCLUSIONS: Women with SjS is likely to experience more complications during pregnancy, and IPO rather than the classic symptoms could be the first sign of SjS flares. IPO should be suspected in patients with unrelenting symptoms of small bowel obstruction, and a multidisciplinary approach can provide optimal management of such high-risk pregnancies.