Endocrine Abstracts

Aim: Diabetes mellitus is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≥7.0 mmol/l (mM) or 2-hour post-load glucose (2HPG) ≥11.1 mM in the 75-gram oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). However, reported FPG cut-off levels that correspond to this 2HPG level are below 7.0 mM in Asian studies. Our study thus aims to find the optimal FPG cut-off that corresponds to 2HPG of 11.1 mM in an Asian population in Singapore.<p class="abstext...

Introduction: Cushing’s syndrome (CS) secondary to ectopic adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH)–producing prostate cancer is rare with less than 30 cases reported. We report a case of Cushing’s syndrome secondary to prostate adenocarcinoma with recurrent hypokalemia, sepsis and rapid disease progression. A 61-year-old man presented in January 2019 with 3-week history of lower limb swelling and weakness. Past medical history is significant for metastatic prosta...

Introduction: Although the Endocrine Society guidelines recommend using aldosterone: renin ratio (ARR) to screen patients for primary aldosteronism (PA), whether to include a cut-off for aldosterone levels remains controversial. In Singapore, most centres require both an ARR >550 (ng/dl)/(ng/ml per h) and aldosterone ≥15 ng/dl. However, it has been shown that patients with PA may have aldosterone levels<15 ng/dl, and also respond well to mineralocorticoid antagon...

Background: Patients with an elevated aldosterone renin ratio (ARR) should proceed for a confirmatory test to diagnose primary aldosteronism (PA) before undergoing further investigations such as CT imaging and adrenal venous sampling. The recent 2016 clinical guidelines have included a new recommendation: that in the setting of spontaneous hypokalaemia, undetectable plasma renin, and plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) >20 ng/dl, patients may not require further confirm...

Background and Aims: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a leading cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer, is increasing worldwide due to rising obesity rates, particularly in Asia. Weight loss induced with diet and exercise decreases hepatic steatosis and inflammation, but requires greater efforts to sustain compared to medication. We therefore aimed to compare the effects of liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist which induces weight loss, on hepatic steatosis an...

Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), defined as excess fat accumulation in the liver, is increasingly prevalent due to obesity. NAFLD may lead to steatohepatitis and eventually cirrhosis. Weight loss, either through diet and exercise or medications such as the glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist liraglutide, improves transaminitis, a marker of NAFLD severity. Visceral obesity is associated with increased plasma levels of the amino acids alanine, phenylalanine, ...