Endocrine Abstracts

Corticosteroids can be synthesised in tissues other than the adrenal cortex but the contribution of this extra-adrenal corticosteroidogenesis to circulating levels in man is not known. We studied this in a group 10 subjects taking chronic glucocorticoid replacement following bilateral adrenalectomy. In phase 1, they were maintained on cortisol alone (30 mg/day). In phase 2, cortisol was replaced by dexamethasone (2 mg/day) and in phase 3, they received both cortisol and dexame...

Although hydrocortisone is the standard replacement therapy for primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency (AI), there are limited data on dosage requirements and the value of salivary monitoring in this patient group. We assessed inter-individual variability in cortisol metabolism and relationships between plasma and salivary cortisol profiles in 27 patients. Ten (3 male) patients had primary AI and 17 (8 male) secondary AI. Salivary and plasma cortisol levels were measured a...

Hydrocortisone is the standard replacement therapy in patients with primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency (AI) but there is no current consensus on the most appropriate replacement dose and the extent to which this varies between individuals. This study examines inter-individual variability in cortisol metabolism in patients taking hydrocortisone therapy and investigates the relationship between plasma and salivary concentrations.Subjects and Method...

Aldosterone is an important cardiovascular hormone. Around 15 % of hypertensives have alteration in aldosterone regulation, defined by a raised ratio of aldosterone to renin (ARR). Studies of CYP11B2, the aldosterone synthase gene, focus on a single nucleotide polymorphism in the 5'promotor region (-344 C/T). We have shown that the T allele is associated with increased urinary excretion and plasma levels of aldosterone and is more common amongst hypertensives with a raised ARR...