Endocrine Abstracts

Graves' disease is known to occur with increased frequency in patients with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) especially women. Undiagnosed thyrotoxicosis can aggravate glucose intolerance and precipitate diabetic ketosis and ketoacidosis. Among the various presenting symptoms of hyperthyroidism, vomiting is a recognized but uncommon symptom.We present the case history of a 30 year old woman with T1DM of 10 years duration presenting with a short history of...

Most cases of primary hyperparathyroidism are due to either parathyroid adenoma or hyperplasia. Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare cause of hyperparathyroidism, usually diagnosed post operatively .Prognosis is poor with a 5 year survival rate of 50-75%.A 74 year old man presented with a 2 week history of weight loss, anorexia and constipation but no abdominal or bone pain. Past history included hypertension and gout and was not on drugs known to cause hyper...

Agranulocytosis is a well recognised but rare side effect of carbimazole therapy which usually occurs within the first 3 months of treatment .We report the case of a 55 year old woman with Graves disease, who developed delayed carbimazole induced agranulocytosis, precipitating a thyroid crisis.Our patient presented with clinical and biochemical evidence of hyperthyroidism in 1998. She was treated with carbimazole and thyroxine in a standard block and replace regimen, this was ...

Ganglioneuroblastoma is a rare neoplasm of adults, containing both primitive neuroblastomatous and mature ganglioneuromatous elements of sympathetic cell origin. We describe an adult patient with a ganglioneuroblastoma exclusively secreting dopamine.A 41 year old lady represented 6 days post laparoscopic excision of endometriosis with a 2 day history of right sided abdominal pain. Only on direct questioning did she admit to a vague 2 month history of occ...

The teratogenic effects of diabetes and the diabetogenic effects of pregnancy make tight glycaemic control during gestation essential. Regular review of the patients is neccessary though the short intervals between appointments make the relatively slow-to-change HbA1c unsuitable for making clinical decisions. Instead, the clinician must rely on home blood glucose (HBG)monitoring results from the patient. These depend on having an accurate meter and good technique aswell as hon...

Aim: To assess the outcome of thyroid surgery in a District General Hospital.Methods: Retrospective study of thyroid surgery done over a 3-year period(1999-2002). Indications for surgery, pre and postoperative thyroid status, extent of surgery, post operative complications and post operative histology were evaluated.Results: 124 patients underwent surgery for thyroid disease. 90 % were female and 10 % male, median age of 52 years (...