Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Klinefelter’s syndrome (KS) is a genetic condition affecting men with the potential to severely reduce their testosterone levels and affect their physical appearance. Being a syndrome there are a variety of different symptoms, which individuals may experience to a great or lesser extent. While much research has been directed at understanding the cognitive impact of KS much less research has been undertaken considering the psycho-social impact of living with th...

Background: Evidence from a Needs Analysis (2006) and Patient Satisfaction Survey (2008) for people with pituitary conditions suggested infertility was a key yet unexpected problem for the majority of respondents. Being infertile without the co-morbidity of pituitary condition confers a huge emotional burden on the individual. The aim of this piece of research was to investigate individual’s perceptions of managing infertility following a diagnosis of a pituitary conditio...

Permanent hypoparathyroidism is rare after total thyroidectomy. However, our experience is that often patients remain on alfacalcidol and calcium supplements long-term after thyroidectomy.A study was initiated in our centre in 2004, whereby all patients on alfacalcidol or calcium supplements post thyroidectomy underwent a gradual alfacalcidol and calcium reduction programme. Of 57 patients thus enrolled, we report on 22 who were initially on alfacalcidol...

Background: Medical research suggests individuals with KS are visibly different and likely to be affected by their appearance. This can be associated with increased social stigma and increased psychological morbidity. This can undermine an already fragile self esteem, potentially increasing the risk of social isolation, resulting in further psychological distress. This study qualitatively explored the experiences of men living with a diagnosis of KS.Meth...

Introduction: Pituitary conditions are rare and diagnosis may be slow because symptoms are ambiguous. The treatment may be a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and medication so patients see many healthcare professionals. This survey sought to assess patient satisfaction with the information and support they receive from GPs, endocrinologists, neurosurgeons, radiotherapists, specialist nurses, and other agencies (e.g. the pituitary foundation).Method: ...

Introduction: Part of the long-term management of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is TSH suppression with supraphysiological doses of levothyroxine. Anecdotal experience suggests that GPs often are not aware of the differences in objectives between treating patients with DTC with suppressive doses of thyroxine and treating patients with primary hypothyroidism, thus leading to inappropriate adjustments of the dose of levothyroxine.Object...

Pituitary disorders are relatively uncommon conditions which leave patients feeling isolated and distressed. Acromegaly and Cushing’s are associated with obvious and visible differences to appearance, while other pituitary conditions are associated with profound, yet hidden, physical changes which impact significantly on psychological well being.AimTo explore the subjective experiences of patients living with and managing a pi...

ObjectiveThis explorative study is concerned with assessing the psychosocial impact of living with a pituitary condition. In collaboration with the Pituitary Foundation, who work to understand and represent the experiences of patients, this study explored the psychosocial issues that are evident for and identified by patients with a pituitary condition (anxiety, depression and appearance related distress).Method<p class="abstex...

Renal resistance to vasopressin has been demonstrated in type 1 diabetes, and in type 2 diabetes with nephropathy. However, renal response to vasopressin in type 2 diabetes without nephropathy, has not been studied.We studied 10 subjects with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes (PCDS, HbA1c > 9 %), 10 subjects with well-controlled type 2 diabetes (WCDS, HbA1c < 7 %), and 10 matched non-diabetic control subjects (NDCS), during a euglycaemic 8-hour wat...