Endocrine Abstracts

Endocrinologists focus on circulating and excreted cortisol for diagnosis of, and to assess severity and treatment response in, Cushing’s syndrome (Cs). However, in Cs, morbidity is mediated by excess cortisol binding to intracellular glucocorticoid (GC), mineralocorticoid (MC), and non-genomic receptors. We and others have demonstrated that 11b-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (HSD-1) is the source of about half of intrahepatocellular cortisol in healthy adults, patie...

Background: Adrenal incidentalomas are common and require investigation to exclude malignancy and evidence of hormone overproduction. Clinical guidelines recommend overnight dexamethasone suppression tests (ONDST) to assess for cortisol hypersecretion with cortisol levels of 50-138 nmol/l termed “mild autonomous cortisol secretion” (MACS). MACS may be associated with both cardiovascular and metabolic morbidity. We assessed cardiovascular risk in patients with MACS us...

Background: The risk and course of glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency (GIA) are unclear and current evidence is retrospective and based on small and selected study populations. However, the prevalence of glucocorticoid use is at least 3 %, which underscores the need for unbiased and prospective assessment of the prevalence and clinical consequences of GIA.Objectives: To identify biomarkers of GIA as regards diagnosis, prognosis and responsivene...