Endocrine Abstracts

Hypopituitarism secondary to pituitary apoplexy is a rare but recognised complication following cardiac surgery but not cardiac arrest.We present a case report of acute pituitary apoplexy following a cardiac arrest on a background of sepsis. A 65-year-old gentleman presented with 3-day history of abdominal pain and vomiting. Of note, he underwent an appendicectomy 2 months earlier. He was septic and investigations revealed bowel perforation with faecal p...

A 39-year-old man presented with thyrotoxicosis and was diagnosed with Graves’ disease. Despite high doses of anti-thyroid medication for 18 months, he remained biochemically and clinically hyperthyroid. Therefore, a thyroidectomy was planned. Four days before surgery, he developed double vision and was referred for urgent Neurosurgical review at our centre. On further questioning, he reported a 12-month history of lethargy and low libido. On examination, he had right 6th...

Hypophysitis describes inflammatory pituitary lesions which can be classified into lymphocytic (autoimmune), granulomatous or xanthomatous. Rathke’s cleft cysts (RCC) are usually assymptomatic, benign tumours derived from remnants of Rathke’s pouch. We present a case of lymphocytic hypophysitis secondary to a ruptured RCC and the first reported case of post-surgical recurrence.A 34-year-old female presented with secondary amenorrhoea and fatigu...

Our 42-year-old patient presented with breathlessness and signs of congestive cardiac failure. Her ‘spade-like hands and acromegalic appearance’ were noted on the post-take round. She had headaches, orthopnoea and secondary amenorrhoea. She was a poorly controlled diabetic (so OGTT was not performed), anaemic, and previously had a thyroidectomy.Pituitary profile showed secondary hypogonadism, normoprolactinaemia and normal free T4 indicating ad...

Background: Women with hypothalamic amenorrhoea (HA) have reduced LH pulsatility causing amenorrhea and infertility. Estrogen supplementation provides symptomatic relief for women with HA, but does not restore the pulsatile pattern of LH secretion which necessary for fertility. Kisspeptin-54 is a recently identified hormone, which potently stimulates GNRH secretion within the hypothalamus. The effect of exogenous kisspeptin-54 administration on LH pulsatility in women with HA ...

Introduction: Kisspeptin-54 is a recently identified hormone, which potently stimulates GnRH secretion within the hypothalamus. Women with hypothalamic amenorrhoea (HA, hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism associated with low body weight) have reduced LH pulsatility causing amenorrhea and infertility. We have previously demonstrated that exogenous administration of kisspeptin-54 acutely stimulates gonadotrophin secretion in women with HA. However, it is not known whether exogenous k...

Background: Hypothalamic amenorrhoea (HA) accounts for over 30% of cases of amenorrhoea in women of reproductive age. Current treatments have limited success rates and side effects. We have recently shown that a single injection of the novel hormone kisspeptin potently stimulates reproductive hormone release in women with HA. However, twice-daily kisspeptin administration to women with HA, results in tachyphylaxis due to desensitisation of the kisspeptin receptor. This suggest...

Kisspeptin is a crucial activator of reproductive function, stimulating GnRH neurons in the hypothalamus. However, kisspeptin and its receptor are also expressed in other brain regions including the limbic system, which has key roles in emotional processing. Kisspeptin signalling in the limbic system modulates emotional and sexual brain processing during tasks, however the effects of kisspeptin on underlying resting brain activity have not yet been studied. This is vital for o...

Kisspeptin is a crucial activator of reproductive function, stimulating GnRH neurons in the hypothalamus. However, kisspeptin and its receptor are also expressed in other brain regions including the limbic system, which has key roles in emotional processing. Kisspeptin signalling in the limbic system modulates emotional and sexual brain processing during tasks, however the effects of kisspeptin on underlying resting brain activity have not yet been studied. This is vital for o...

Kisspeptin is a crucial activator of reproductive function, playing a critical role in the hypothalamus to activate GnRH neurons and downstream reproductive hormones. However, kisspeptin and its receptor are also expressed in other brain areas, yet little is known about their function here. The limbic system plays a key role in sexual and emotional behaviours and has a high expression of kisspeptin receptors. We therefore hypothesised that kisspeptin administration may modulat...