Endocrine Abstracts

Diarrhoea is a common symptom in patients with neuroendocrine tumours (NETs), especially metastatic small bowel NETs. Diarrhoea substantially impairs quality of life, as increased frequency of bowel moments with associated urgency, cause social embarrassment and constrain diet and the ability to leave the house. Diarrhoea, with associated electrolyte disturbance, was a major cause of premature death in patients with NETs prior to the advent of medical therapies. It is importan...

Sweating in the absence of any physiological precipitant can be extremely distressing and unpleasant. Primary hyperhydrosis, usually affecting the palms of the hands, soles of the feet and the axillae, usually presents in teenage years and is managed by dermatologists. Secondary hyperhydrosis usually develops later in life, is more generalised and may be associated with flushing. The differential diagnosis is very long and includes systemic illness (such as lymphoma and chroni...

A 69 year old male was referred with a 60 year history of recurrent hypoglycaemia. Over the previous 12 months he had several episodes of severe hypoglycaemia, which necessitated emergency treatment from paramedics. He had been diagnosed with a hypoglycaemic disorder at the age of 9 years, but no underlying cause had been identified. He had no other previous history of note, though he was macrosomic at birth with a birth weight of approximately 5.9 kg. His mother was diagnosed...

Background: Male sex, cigarette smoking, young age, severe thyrotoxicosis, large goitre and marked or persistent elevation of TRABs are consistently reported as predictors of relapse following withdrawal of thionamides in Graves’ disease. Early recurrence rates are commonly quoted at 50% but the definition of early recurrence varies widely across the literature. AIM We sought to determine the best clinical predictors of recurrent thyrotoxicosis and whether these would per...

Background: Thionamides are a safe and effective treatment for Graves’ thyrotoxicosis and tend to be favoured over radioiodine in the UK. Risk of recurrence following cessation of thionamides is high although most studies tend to have short duration of follow up. We have previously published follow-up data to 4 years in this cohort and now present follow-up out to 7 years.Methods: Retrospective review of first presentation Graves’...

Background: Thionamides are a safe and effective treatment for Graves’ thyrotoxicosis and tend to be favoured over radioiodine in the UK. Risk of recurrence following cessation of thionamides is high although most studies tend to have short duration of follow up. We have previously published follow-up data to 4 years in this cohort and now present follow-up out to 7 years.Methods: Retrospective review of first presentation Graves’...

Several recent publications have advocated that patients with primary and secondary adrenal insufficiency (PAI and SAI) be given emergency injectable hydrocortisone to reduce the risk of adrenal crisis. There is a limited evidence-base for this recommendation and consequently the Edinburgh Centre for Endocrinology (ECE) does not routinely issue kits to its patients. This study assessed the frequency of hospital presentations in ECE’s AI patients, and the severity of their...

Background: Male hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism is an increasingly common cause of referral to endocrine clinics. Subnormal testosterone levels are frequently observed in obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and in the elderly. Endocrine Society guidelines suggest stratification of investigations based on the degree of androgen deficiency, with full pituitary function testing and MRI recommended only in those with serum testosterone levels less than 5.2 nmol/L. However the eviden...

Background: The British Thyroid Association’s thyroid cancer guidelines (2014) advocate the U1-5 nodule grading system as a primary diagnostic and classification tool.Aims: We assessed whether practice reflected guidelines, and examined patient outcomes.Methods: Patients with a thyroid ultrasound, undertaken by radiographers or general radiologists, in January-June 2015 were identified. Investigation and outcomes...

Background: The British Thyroid Association’s thyroid cancer guidelines (2014) advocate the U1-5 nodule grading system as a primary diagnostic and classification tool.Aims: We assessed whether practice reflected guidelines, and examined patient outcomes.Methods: Patients with a thyroid ultrasound, undertaken by radiographers or general radiologists, in January-June 2015 were identified. Investigation and outcomes...