Endocrine Abstracts

A young female presented concerned that she may have Addison’s disease. She had noted increasing pigmentation and reported her sister had died from undiagnosed Addison’s disease. She was hypotensive, with no postural drop in her blood pressure. She was hyponatraemic and hyperkalaemic. An initial 250 μg Synacthen test performed in the afternoon gave a baseline cortisol of 258 nmol/L and a 30 minute cortisol of 291 nmol/L. In view of this, the Synacthen test was r...

A para 2+0 female, 11 weeks gestation presented with vaginal bleeding and hyper-emesis. An ultrasound scan showed a dichorionic pregnancy with one viable foetus and a hydatiform mole. β-human chorionic gonadotrophin (β-hCG) level was elevated at 159845 U/L and subsequent thyroid biochemistry revealed hyperthyroidism. Serum thyrotrophin (TSH) was suppressed at <0.05 mU/L (NR 0.2–4.5), with a FT4 37 pmol/L (NR 9–24), and Free T3 of 17.8 nmol/L (NR 2.6&#15...

5α-Reductase (5αR) inhibitors decrease prostatic dihydrotestosterone in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) treatment; finasteride inhibits 5αR type 2, while dutasteride inhibits 5αR1 and 2. 5αRs, especially 5αR1, are also expressed in metabolic tissues regulating actions of androgens and other substrates, including glucocorticoids.Hypothesis: 5αR1 inhibition with dutasteride induces metabolic dyshomeostasis.<p class...

Phaeochromocytomas (PHAEO)/paragangliomas (PGL) are neuro-endocrine tumours. They may present sporadically or as the primary abnormality in a number of familial syndromes. Advances in molecular genetics have led to the identification of several PHAEO/PGL predisposing genes including VHL, NF1 and RET. Mutations in the genes encoding the subunits of Succinate Dehydrogenase (SDH) have also been reported. We describe the phenotype of a cohort of patients with a Succinate Dehydroge...