Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology
Endocrine Abstracts (2015) 37 EP80 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.37.EP80

ECE2015 Eposter Presentations Adrenal cortex (94 abstracts)

Metabolic abnormalities in patients with nonfunctional adrenal incidentaloma: random or causal?

Alina Daniela Belceanu 1 , Ioana Armasu 1 , Oana Cirdei 1 , Felicia Crumpei 2 , Cristina Preda 1 , Letitia Leustean 1 , Didona Ungureanu 3 , Voichita Mogos 1 & Carmen Vulpoi 1


1Endocrinology Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Gr. T. Popa, Iasi, Romania; 2Radiology Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Gr. T. Popa, Iasi, Romania; 3Laboratory Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Gr. T. Popa, Iasi, Romania.


Introduction: With a prevalence of 0.5–2% in computed tomography series, incidentally diagnosed nonfunctional adrenal tumours (NAI) become more and more common in clinical practice. It is not clear if the higher frequency of NAI in patients with metabolic syndrome is causal or random.

Patients and methods: We retrospectively analysed patients diagnosed with adrenal tumors on computed tomography in 1 year interval (January–December 2014). Including criteria was an incidentally discovery. Excluding criteria were known malignancies and signs or symptoms of hormone excess which could determine the imagistic investigation, as well as subclinical disease, with adrenal axis modifications.

Results: Study group consisted in 48 patients (40 females, eight males), aged between 31 and 80 years (mean age 59±10.7). Mean BMI was 29.6±5.9 kg/m2: 12 patients with normal weight, three overweight and 33 obese. Arterial hypertension was diagnosed in 43 patients (89.58%), diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance in 25 patients (52%) and hypercholesterolemia in 45 patients (93.75%). A significant positive correlation between BMI, glucose (r=0.69, P<0.05), total cholesterol (r=0.74) and systolic blood pressure (r=0.98) values was recorded. Cortisol remained within normal limits, but a slight positive correlation with cholesterol (r=0.38), systolic blood pressure (r=0.2), glucose (r=0.25) and BMI (r=0.35) was observed.

Conclusions: It is still a matter of debate whether NAI increases the risk of metabolic syndrome, having some degree of autonomous adrenal function, with subtle modifications before measurable changes of adrenal axis. Although the retrospective nature of our data did not allow us to draw any conclusions about the cause of increased prevalence of metabolic abnormalities, we suggest that some degree of adrenal autonomy – not recognised by current methods – is responsible for increased hormonal secretion and increased metabolic risk.

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