Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Copeptin is the C-terminal fragment of proAVP and secreted in equimolar amounts with AVP. While AVP is unstable in vitro and has proved difficult to measure in clinical practice, copeptin is relatively stable and can be measured using an automated immunoassay. Therefore copeptin measurement offers potential as a more practical alternative to the direct measurement of AVP in the investigation of polyuria/polydipsia.Methods: AVP, cop...

Maintenance of serum sodium and water balance is a key feature of normal physiology; mediated through the regulation of water intake and renal water loss. Adipsic and hypodipsic disorders are characterized by inadequate spontaneous fluid intake due to defects in osmo-regulated thirst. Patients deny thirst and do not drink, despite dehydration and hypovolaemia. The hypothalamic osmoregulation of thirst and Vasopressin (AVP) production are functionally linked, though anatomicall...

Diabetes Insipidus (DI) results from a relative or absolute deficiency in either the production or action of the posterior pituitary hormone Vasopressin (AVP), the principle endocrine regulator of renal water excretion. The challenges in DI encompass its diagnosis, its treatment and in managing the co-morbidities and complications of the condition. This presentation will cover all these elements, highlighting cases that illustrate some of the key principles in the clinical app...

Maintenance of serum sodium and water balance is a key feature of normal physiology; mediated through the regulation of water intake and renal water loss. Adipsic and hypodipsic disorders are characterized by inadequate spontaneous fluid intake due to defects in osmo-regulated thirst. Patients deny thirst and do not drink, despite dehydration and hypovolaemia. The hypothalamic osmoregulation of thirst and Vasopressin (AVP) production are functionally linked, though anatomicall...

Diabetes Insipidus (DI) results from a relative or absolute deficiency in either the production or action of the posterior pituitary hormone Vasopressin (AVP), the principle endocrine regulator of renal water excretion. The challenges in DI encompass its diagnosis, its treatment and in managing the co-morbidities and complications of the condition. This presentation will cover all these elements, highlighting cases that illustrate some of the key principles in the clinical app...

Hyponatraemia is common, present in some 15–20% of non-selected acute hospital admissions in the UK. Hyponatraemia is associated with increased mortality and morbidity across a range of medical problems; emphasising its importance. Despite these factors, the management of patients with hyponatraemia remains challenging. Early recognition of life threatening hyponatraemia (where action is required quickly) is critical. This situation is rare and requires a...

Hyponatraemia (serum Na+<135 mmol/l) is common. It is associated with increased mortality and morbidity across a range of clinical contexts. Despite this, it remains an area in which there is diverse practice. There are centre and speciality-specific approaches to diagnosis and management that reflect both the apparent absence of a clear evidence-base and differences in perceived clinical priorities.This presentation will focus on a number of key the...

The process of learning is an order-dependent process. It can be broken down into functional components: accessing information; assimilating that information as knowledge within a theoretical framework; and then being able to apply that knowledge in an appropriate context. There is nothing new in this. Indeed, the process of learning is part of our very nature. Generations of doctors have learned and taught; learned and taught some more; and learned and taught some more after ...

Preparing and submitting a paper is a lot of work: designing the study; collecting the data; analysing the results; writing the manuscript. Then, depending on your supervisor or co-workers, writing the manuscript again. The last thing anyone wants is rejection. Even when accompanied by positive comments and useful steers on how best to improve things, it can feel as though the peer review process is not fair. Put simply, the world does not understand. While this may be true, i...

Phaeochromocytoma and functional paraganglioma are rare in young people. Presentation, diagnosis and management follow principles established in adult endocrinology: clinical suspicion, appropriate investigation, adrenergic blockade and surgical excision where possible. Familial phaeochromocytoma syndromes are over-represented in patients presenting with the problem at a young age. This is an important dimension to the multidisciplinary approach to management, a multi-discipli...