Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Measurements of thyrotropin (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4) and triiodothyronine (FT3) are widely used diagnostic methods for thyroid function evaluation. However, some serum samples will demonstrate a nonspecific binding with assay reagents that can interfere with the measurement of these hormones. Few case reports of TSH interfering antibodies have described the presence of such interferences resulting in reported abnormal concentrations of thyroid hormones. Unusual ...

Background: Postural hypotension has been commonly described in elderly. Common causes include medication, fluid loss, adrenal insufficiency and autonomic dysfunction. Hyponatremia is not a disease in itself, but a manifestation of a variety of disorders and side-effects of diuretics; alternatively, it may be the only manifestation of certain disorders. We present a case of primary hypothyroidism presenting as collapse with postural hypotension and severe hyponatremia.<p c...

Background: Sunitinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor used in the treatment of metastatic GIST and renal cell carcinoma. Tyrosine kinase receptors are involved in tumour growth, angiogenesis and metastatic invasion. It can cause hypothyroidism but few cases have actually been reported. Mechanisms suggested for the incidence of hypothyroidism include antithyroperoxidase activity,1 and blocking uptake of iodine in the thyroid gland,2 or it may induce destruc...

Back ground: Pituitary adenomas are the most common cause of a mass in the sella, accounting for up to 10–15% of intracranial neoplasm’s1. However, when dealing with abnormal intrasellar masses, a number of different etiologies are possible: germ cell tumour, metastatic tumours, granulomatous, and inflammatory processes2. We report an unusual case of primary pituitary lymphoma diagnosed on biopsy presenting as panhypopituitarism and Diabetes Ins...

Background: Autoimmune thyroid disease is a common cause of thyroid dysfunction, either Graves’ disease causing hyperthyroidism or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis causing hypothyroidism. It has been noted that patients suffering from autoimmune hypothyroidism can transform to hyperthyroidism and vice versa. We report the case of a patient with long standing autoimmune hypothyroidism presenting with active thyroid eye disease and subsequently diagnosed with Graves’ disea...