Endocrine Abstracts

Background: GH deficiency (GHD) may occur in about 60% of acromegalics treated and cured by surgery or radiotherapy. Effects of GH replacement have not yet been extensively studied in such a patients.Aim: To investigate whether rhGH replacement improve metabolic parameters in acromegalic patients who become GHD.Patients and methods: Forty GHD patients (mean age (S.D.): 48±10, BMI 27±3 kg/m2) were...

Introduction: MEN1 is characterized by tumors of parathyroid glands, pituitary and pancreas. Pituitary tumors frequently produce PRL and GH, but acromegaly due to ectopic GHRH secretion has been reported in <1% of cases. Here we present a case of two patients belonging to a MEN1 family (c.207delC; p.P69PfsX118 mutation (ENST00000377313), affected by primary hyperparathyroidism, in association with acromegaly due to ectopic GHRH secretion and bronchial carcinoid, respective...

Introduction: Double aneuploidy involving both sex and autosomal chromosomes (chr) is very rare, Down–Turner syndrome being the most frequent. Fourty-seven cases of Down–Turner mosaicism have been reported, only nine with a karyotype containing Y chr (phenotype: seven male, two ambiguous genitals).Case report: We describe a girl affected with Down-Turner syndrome. The cytogenetic analysis on peripheral lymphocytes, performed 2 months after birt...

Radiation therapy is a useful adjuvant tool for the management of difficult acromegalic patients. Its effects on cardiovascular morbidity are still unknown. Aim of the study was to investigate the long-term effects of radiotherapy on metabolic parameters and cardiovascular risk factors.A total of 42 acromegalic patients (11 M and 31 F, age: 55±12 years, RT group), cured after conventional RT (CRT, n=31) or radiosurgery by gamma-knife (GKRS, <...

Introduction: Disorder of water and electrolyte balance may develop after transsphenoidal (TNS) surgery for pituitary adenomas. In particular, delayed hyponatremia (Na<135 mEq/l) due to SIADH is reported in 8–35% of patients and usually resolves with fluid-intake restriction within 6 days. The possible role of vasopressin-2 receptor antagonists in this clinical setting has not been elucidated.Case report: We report a case of a 57-years-old Cauca...

We previously demonstrated that acromegalic patients with normal IGF-I levels after surgery also met the current criteria for cure (i.e. postglucose GH nadir <1 μg/l) after long term monitoring. Since some Authors recently proposed to even lower the present GH nadir cut off value, the aim of this study was to confirm its adequacy to define long lasting disease remission. A group of 24 acromegalic patients (9 M&15 F, age 54.2±9.6 yrs) normal IGF-I levels and p...

Context: Most of the clinical data on safety profile of desmopressin (DDAVP), i.e. an effective treatment of both polyuric conditions and bleeding disorders, originates from studies on tailoring of drug treatment, whereas few reports describe severe side effects secondary to drug–drug interaction.Objective: To describe a case of severe hyponatremia complicated with seizure and coma due to the intake of non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) ...

Patients with craniopharyngioma (CP) are more often operated by transcranial route than patients with nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA), have higher prevalence of pituitary deficiencies, are more obese and dyslipidemic and have a higher mortality rate. A previous study in a large group of GHD subjects, showed that the effects of 2-year rhGH replacement are similar in patients operated for CP and in patients operated for NFPA, except for less reduction in fat mass in CP p...

A highly polymorphic microsatellite in the IGF1 gene promoter, composed of variable cytosine-adenine (CA) repeats (n=10–24) has been linked to IGF1 serum concentrations in normal, acromegalic and GHD subjects with conflicting results. Aim of this study was to investigate whether this polymorphism may influence the clinical and biochemical characteristics of adult patients with GHD (n=97). Moreover, the response to 12-month rhGH replacement in terms of IGF1 l...

Previous evidences have suggested that in adults with organic hypopituitarism the condition of GH deficiency (GHD) could mask the presence of other pituitary deficits. In our experience, both central hypothyroidism and hypoadrenalism were unmasked during rhGH therapy in adults with GHD due to central organic lesions. Few and conflicting information are available about the relationship among GHD, rhGH therapy and gonadal function. Aim of the present study was to investigate the...