Ossification of the auricles - A forgotten sign of adrenal insufficiency

Auricular ossification is a rare clinical entity. Dystrophic calcification of soft tissue or cartilage is the result of calcium deposition in damaged tissues. The most common causes of this phenomenon are local trauma, frostbite, and boxing. However, the elemental content of ossified auricular cartilage is similar to that of normal bone specimens. Primary adrenal insufficiency (Addison's disease) is the most frequent systemic disorder associated with auricular calcification. Only three cases of auricular calcification have been reported in patients with secondary hypoadrenalism. We report a 43-year-old patient of auricular ossification with hypopituitarism and secondary hypoadrenalism to remind clinicians of this somewhat forgotton sign of adrenal insufficiency.