Endocrine Abstracts

Background: HIV-infected patients are predisposed to an increased risk of hyponatremia. In healthy population, low sodium is associated with impaired health status and reduced BMD, but less is known about this association in HIV-infection.Aim: To investigate the relationship between serum sodium, frailty and BMD in a large cohort of HIV-infected patients.Methodology: A retrospective, observational, cohort study on adult HIV-infecte...

Background: HIV-infection is associated to several age-related comorbidities, such as a premature decline of serum testosterone (T). There is evidence about the relationship between health status, represented by frailty and comorbidities, and serum T levels in general population, while only one previous retrospective study investigated it in HIV-infected men.Aim: To investigate the association between frailty and gonadal status by assessing serum total T...

Introduction: HIV infection treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) seems to be associated with hypogonadism in men. Less is known in HIV-infected women gonadal status. The aim of this study is to investigate gonadal function, in menopausal HIV-infected women compared sex- and age-matched healthy subjects (HS).Methods: We retrospectively compared 188 HIV-infected women with 192 HS selected reviewing record charts and laboratory database...

Background: Multidisciplinary approach to pituitary disease is highly recommended; it requires a close relationship between expert pituitary surgeons and endocrinologists together with several specialists (e.g. neuroradiologists) in order to provide a high-level standard of care. Although there is evidence that neurosurgeons’ expertise is a key element to achieve better outcomes, also endocrinologists’ role is fundamental but it may sometimes encounter real-life barr...

Objective: Highly Active Antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has been associated with several endocrine abnormalities. Data concerning thyroid dysfunction in HIV are still controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of thyroid dysfunctions and their association with HAART and HIV-infection in a large cohort of HIV-infected patients.Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out involving HIV-infected patients whose t...

Background: Adult growth hormone (GH) deficiency (AGHD) is related with alterations in body composition, increased abdominal and visceral adiposity, adverse change in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, and reduction of bone mineral density (BMD).Aim: To compare baseline outcomes concerning body composition and biochemical/hormonal data among adult patients with AGHD referring to a single endocrinological center and grouped according to their history of r...

Background: HIV-infection is associated to an increased prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED). In HIV-infected men ED seems to be less related to serum Testosterone (T), depending from other factors.Aim: To investigate the role of different components (organic, relational, psychological) of erectile function by using validate questionnaires in HIV-infected men with normal serum T.Methodology: Prospective, cross-sectional, observa...

Introduction: β-thalassemia (bT) is associated to several endocrine abnormalities mainly due to iron overload. With the increase in bT-patients life expectancy, due to progresses in iron chelation therapy, more patients enter into adulthood than in the past and the prevalence of endocrine diseases is being reconsidered. The aim of the study is to investigate the prevalence of primary hypoparathyroidism (pHPT) in adult bT-patients and to characterize the relative clinical ...

Introduction: Growth Hormone deficiency (GHD) is frequent in patients with human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1), undergoing highly active antiretroviral therapy. GHD seems to depend on HIV-related lipodystrophy and to be less frequent in women.Aim of the study: To investigate the association of gender, body composition and GH/IGF1 axis, and to clarify whether GHD in HIV-infected patients is functional or a clinical entity.Methods...

Introduction: Thyroid function is commonly impaired in β-thalassemic patients with an estimated prevalence of hypothyroidism of 9–11%. According to literature, iron overload is the main cause of tissue damage involving both thyroid and pituitary gland, thus leading to primary or secondary hypothyroidism respectively. However, thyroid morphology has been rarely investigated in adults. The aim of this study is to evaluate thyroid volume (TV) and thyroid morphology in &...