Endocrine Abstracts

Background: HDL is a plasma lipid-protein complex of lipids and alphalipoproteins (apolipoproteins A-I and A-II). It is involved in reverse transport of cholesterol from peripheral tissue to liver, allowing cholesterol degradation. HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) levels are inversely associated with cardiovascular risk. HDL-C levels can be elevated due to genetic causes or drugs. We present a case where significantly raised HDL levels caused some concern at the outset.<p class="ab...

Background: The prevalence of incidental pituitary adenoma is estimated between 10 and 20% in autopsy and radiological data. Such pituitary incidentalomas are increasingly detected, as access to sensitive imaging modalities improves. We present a review of the recent pituitary incidentaloma referrals at a tertiary centre during 2 years from January 2013.Methods: All patients with pituitary incidentalomas on brain imaging between 2013 and 2015 were review...

Introduction: Hyperparathyroidism in pregnancy is rare and is associated with significant maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Recognition can be challenging due to the inability to differentiate hypercalcaemia symptoms from those of pregnancy, studies suggest that up to 80% of cases may be undiagnosed. We report three cases of hyperparathyroidism in pregnancy at Royal Derby Hospital, investigations (Table 1) and management in these patients are reviewed.<p class="a...

Aim: Acromegaly is associated with higher mortality and morbidity, and achieving disease control can be challenging. The aim of this study was to assess the morbidity and mortality associated with active acromegaly compared to patients in whom disease control was achieved.Methods: Retrospective analysis of all patients treated with acromegaly at a university hospital between 1948 and 2014 was performed. Mortality rates and development of new cardiovascul...

Aim: Acromegaly is associated with multiple co-morbidities including diabetes mellitus (DM), obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), arthropathy, cardiovascular events and malignancies. Early diagnosis and treatment, with an intention to cure or control the growth hormone (GH) exposure can reduce risk of these complications. The aim of this study is to assess the development of acromegaly-related complications amongst patients who have completed at least 10 years of follow up after ac...

Introduction: Evidence suggests that ionised calcium (iCa) and not total calcium is the physiologically relevant blood calcium component. Most blood gas (BG) analysers calculate iCa, but this is often ignored. We report our findings from a retrospective audit in medical in-patients and the potential benefit of this underused resource.Methods: A retrospective audit of admissions to two general medical/endocrine wards during January and February 2016. Data...

Pituicytomas are rare tumours, originating from modified glial cells called pituicytes. The lineage of these tumours remains a topic of debate. Approximately 65 cases have been reported in the literature to date, since being formally recognised in 2007. We report a case where the final diagnosis was made after second surgery for late recurrence.Case: A 54-year-old man presented with left sided visual disturbances in 1998 and underwent transcranial resect...

Background: Hypogonadism and erectile dysfunction have diverse causes. Hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism results from pituitary dysfunction, often caused by pituitary adenoma, pituitary surgery, radiotherapy, or use of prescription/non-prescription drugs. Rarer causes should be considered during initial investigation of patients with erectile dysfunction. We present a case of secondary hypogonadism and how further investigations eventually led to the underlying diagnosis.<p c...

Concerns have been raised that undergraduate medical education in Endocrinology/Diabetes (E&D) is not preparing students adequately for clinical practice. This project assessed trainer perceptions of the delivered D&E curriculum and identified areas for improvement. We surveyed E&D consultants at the 12 hospitals which accept students from our medical school using an online questionnaire. Emails were sent to 50 consultants. The response rate was 46% (23/50 recipien...

Introduction: Thyrotoxicosis of iatrogenic origin is well recognized, particularly with use of drugs such as amiodarone and lithium. However, thyrotoxicosis after parathyroid surgery is rarely reported and has been poorly characterized within prospective studies. We report the case of a lady who underwent parathyroidectomy who developed self-limiting thyrotoxicosis.Case: A 42 year old lady presented with recurrent urinary tract infections due to bilatera...