Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Hydrocortisone is the main treatment for congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) in children. The optimal biochemical monitoring and replacement regimen of these children continues to be debated. We explored variations in blood spot 17α-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) levels.Methods: Single centre retrospective cross-sectional study of children with 21-hydroxylase deficiency aged <18 years. Patients treated with hydrocortisone who had dr...

Context: Primary aldosteronism (PA) accounts for 5–10% of all hypertension and 20–25% of refractory cases. Diagnosis is important as PA is associated with increased morbidity and mortality compared with ‘essential’ hypertension, and up to 50% of patients may benefit from unilateral adrenalectomy. Screening requires measurement of plasma renin activity (PRA) or concentration (PRC), and plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC), to yield an aldosterone:renin rat...

Context: Primary aldosteronism (PA) accounts for 5–10% of all hypertension and 20–25% of refractory cases. Diagnosis is important as PA is associated with increased morbidity and mortality compared with ‘essential’ hypertension, and up to 50% of patients may benefit from unilateral adrenalectomy. Screening requires measurement of plasma renin activity (PRA) or concentration (PRC), and plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC), to yield an aldosterone:renin rat...

Background: Accurate assessment of GH & IGF1 status in acromegaly is crucial for informing management to minimise excess morbidity/mortality. Expert panels have differed with respect to recommended testing modalities and thresholds – the most recent being the Endocrine Society 2014 guidelines. We evaluated their simplified algorithm, which minimises the need for day-case testing, against other more resource-intensive measures.Methods: A retrospe...

Case history: A 38-year-old man was referred with a 12-month history of recurrent bouts of transient hyponatraemia (serum sodium ranging from 115 to 125 mmol/l). Citalopram, which he was taking for depression, was discontinued, but the episodes continued.Initial investigations: Whilst symptomatic, and clinically euvolaemic, his biochemical profile was consistent with a syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis (SIAD): sodium 124 mmol/l, potassium 4.5 mmol/l...

Subclinical hypercortisolism (SH) occurs in 5–30% of incidentally-detected adrenal adenomas (AIs). Common screening tests for ACTH-independent hypercortisolism have significant false positive rates, mandating further investigations that are both time and resource intensive. We investigated whether a low basal DHEAS level is a sensitive and specific screening test for the detection/exclusion of SH in patients with newly-diagnosed AI. We recruited 185 consecutive patients w...

Introduction: Alterations in the hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid axis have been reported following GH replacement, with a decline in circulating T4 concentration the most consistent finding. However, the clinical significance of GH-induced alterations in circulating levels of thyroid hormone is unclear.Aim: To examine the relationship between changes in serum concentration of thyroid hormones and known biological markers of thyroid ho...