Endocrine Abstracts

A 60-year-old man presented with symptomatic primary hyperparathyroidism. At this time serum corrected calcium was 3.1 mmol/l (2.15–2.65 mmol/l) and after investigation bilateral parathyroid exploration was performed. A suspected adenoma was identified in the right inferior gland and removed. The remaining glands appeared normal. The adenoma was confirmed histologically. Early post-operative calcium was normal (2.48 mmol/l).He remained well and calc...

Hypopituitarism usually is the result of a pituitary tumour or its treatment. If, however, pituitary imaging is negative then an alternative diagnosis should be sought. We present two patients initially diagnosed as idiopathic hypopituitarism in whom the underlying diagnosis was delayed with potentially serious consequences.The first case was of a 32 year old male who presented with symptoms and signs of hypogonadism. Serum testosterone (<0.7 nmol/L)...

Cyclical Cushing’s syndrome is typically detected by collecting sequential daily early morning urine (EMU) samples for cortisol to creatinine ratio over a 28 day period. More recently nocturnal salivary cortisol (NSC) measurement has been shown to be a sensitive means of screening for Cushing’s syndrome. The Endocrine Society have suggested that NSC may be used to assess patients for cyclical Cushing’s however there is limited evidence that it correlates with th...

Aberrant and upregulated eutopic receptors have been identified in vitro in patients with primary aldosteronism (PA). We previously identified an exaggerated aldosterone response to synacthen in patients with PA versus healthy controls. In this study we aimed to evaluate whether the synacthen test differentiates between patients with PA and essential hypertension (EH). The 250 mcg intramuscular synacthen test was performed after 30 minutes recumbency in the morning and off int...

It is recommended that all patients with PA who are suitable for surgery should undergo adrenal CT and AVS unless there is a large unilateral adenoma with a completely normal contralateral gland. We reviewed 100 patients diagnosed with PA. AVS was performed in 93. Different lateralisation criteria for AVS were assessed using ROC curve analysis to determine the optimal one for identifying an adenoma. We reviewed the outcomes of adrenalectomy evaluating which pre-operative chara...

Primary aldosteronism is an important cause of secondary hypertension though its diagnosis can prove challenging. In normal individuals aldosterone release follows a diurnal pattern, with a morning peak and low levels in the evening. Aldosterone is present in saliva and due to its lipophilic nature it passes into saliva along a concentration gradient. Salivary steroid testing is well established for cortisol and testosterone, but not yet for aldosterone....

Sub-clinical Cushing’s syndrome has, in recent years, been described among diabetic populations but no consensus has emerged about the value of screening. We enrolled 201 consecutive diabetics attending clinic and 80 controls. Local ethics committee approval was obtained. Patients with at least 2 of the following 3 criteria were offered screening: HbA1c≥7%, BMI≥25 and history of hypertension or BP≥140/90. An 11 pm salivary sample was stored at room tempe...

Pituitary surgery frequently leads to one or more anterior pituitary hormone deficiencies but the incidence of GH deficiency is unclear. The aim of our study was to establish the incidence of GH deficiency in patients post hypophysectomy. Current NICE guidelines recommend GH replacement in severely GH deficient patients who have one or more other pituitary hormone deficiencies and diminished QoL by AGHDA.Thirty-five patients (M:F 15:20; age range 23&#150...

Hypopituitary patients are at increased vascular risk. This may be partly attributable to changes in insulin action. It has been suggested that the addition of dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), which is low in patients with secondary hypoadrenalism, to routine replacement may have beneficial effects on glucose metabolism. Previously, patient populations and techniques used to assess insulin action varied and overall results have been conflicting.W...

Mutations in the co-chaperone molecule AIP account for a predisposition to pituitary tumours in some families with familial isolated pituitary adenomas (FIPA). We now report on four apparently-unrelated families with the same mutation and originating from the same geographical area, suggesting a possible founder mutation.The index patient had gigantism (19 years, 208 cm) and had a female 4th cousin, once removed (13 years, 191 cm) with a large pituitary ...