Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Primary aldosteronism is associated with increased vascular mortality and morbidity.Aims: We aimed to assess metabolic and hormonal profile differences in patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) compared with patients with essential hypertension (EH).Patients and methods: Thirty-one patients (11 M/20 F) with primary aldosteronism, aged 46.2±12.9 years and 64 patients (24 M/40 F) with essential hypertension, aged 4...

Background: Dopamine agonists (DA) are the first-line treatment for macroprolactinomas. However, up to 10% of patients fail to respond to medical therapy.Aim: To assess biochemical resistance rate to DA treatment in a large series of patients with macroprolactinoma and to analyze possibilities to overcome this resistance.Patients and methods: 195 patients with macroprolactinomas, treated with DA for at least 2 years, were retrospec...

Background: Radiotherapy is part of the complex treatment of pituitary tumors; it is an effective treatment for residual postoperative tumors or recurrent tumors, but cerebrovascular events and secondary intracranial tumors may occur during long term follow-up.Aim: To assess prevalence of cerebrovascular events, secondary intracranial tumors and other neoplasia in patients with non-acromegaly pituitary tumors and craniopharyngiomas submitted to radiother...

Introduction: The incidence of parathyroid carcinoma in primary hyperparathyroidism is less than 1% and the association with ACTH-independent Cushing syndrome is very rare.Case report: A 40-year-old female was admitted for weight gain and reddish-purple striae. One month earlier she had a ¾ parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism with histopathological examination showing a parathyroid carcinoma and two parathyroid adenomas. She also had a...

Background: Screening for primary aldosteronism (PA) needs aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) measurement, followed by confirmative tests.Aim: To assess the clinical value of captopril challenge test (CCT) in PA diagnosis.Methods: Thirty patients were screened for secondary endocrine hypertension; study group consisted in 15 PA patients (7M/8F, aged 44.6±13.3 years). Control group consisted in 15 patients (5M/10F) with negative ...

Introduction: Primary aldosteronism is associated with increased prevalence of cardiometabolic complications. The mechanisms are not fully elucidated, but an association with autonomous cortisol secretion could increase vascular and metabolic risk.Aims: To assess glucocorticoid axis in patients with primary aldosteronism as compared to patients with ACTH-independent Cushing syndrome and control hypertensive patients without gluco or mineralocorticoid exc...

Introduction: Pituitary apoplexy is a rare complication in 2%-12% of pituitary adenomas, due to sudden hemorrhage or infarction. Patients with signs of meningeal irritation, important visual field defects, ocular paresis, decreased unilateral or bilateral visual acuity or altered consciousness are treated by neurosurgical intervention, while patients without these signs could be managed conservatively.Aim: To present a series of 4 cases with pituitary ap...

Introduction: Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) accounts for 3-9% of all thyroid cancers and only 0.7% develop paraneoplastic Cushing’s syndrome. However, incidence of endogenous Cushing’s syndrome is also low (1–3/million population/year), with a female preponderance, pituitary mediated ACTH production being responsible for up to 80% of these cases.Aim: To present the difficulties in the differential diagnosis of ACTH dependent hyperco...