Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Male hypogonadism is defined by low circulating testosterone level associated with signs and symptoms of testosterone deficiency. Although the bidirectional link between hypogonadism and cardiovascular disease has been clarified recently, the association between testosterone and chronic heart failure (CHF) is more controversial. Methods: We critically review published studies relating to testosterone, hypogonadism, and CHF and provide practic...

Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) has become increasingly recognized as a cause of metabolic syndrome, characterized by altered body composition and adverse cardiovascular risk. The effects of other pituitary hormone deficiencies or their replacement therapies on the metabolic profile in this clinical setting are still largely unclear. In this study, we aimed to evaluating the effects of replacement therapies of central hypoadrenalism and hypothyroidism on body composition in a ...

Over the last years, there has been evidence that acromegaly may cause skeletal fragility with high risk of vertebral fractures. The diagnostic approach to this complication is still a matter of uncertainty, since DXA measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) does not provide reliable information on fracture risk in acromegaly. The cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) technique offers three-dimensional images for the radiographed area with the advantage to use non-dedicated eq...

Thyroid hormones play a central role in the regulation of bone turnover and thyrotoxicosis is an established cause of secondary osteoporosis. Increased prevalence of reduced bone mineral density (BMD) has been reported even in patients with subclinical thyrotoxicosis such as those with differentiated thyroid carcinoma undergoing long-term L-thyroxine (L-T4) TSH-suppressive therapy. Morphometric vertebral fractures (VFs) are an early and clinically...

Acromegaly is associated with skeletal fragility and high risk of vertebral fractures (VFs), but the determinants of such a risk are still under investigation and it is not clear whether replacement therapies of coexistent hypopituitarism may influence prevalence and incidence of VFs. In this cross sectional study, fourty acromegaly patients (24 M, 16 F; median age, 57 years; range, 25–72), 20 with active disease, were evaluated for the effects of replacement therapy of c...

Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is a frequent form of male hypogonadism that may be associated with a series of comorbidities potentially affecting quality of life and survival. As a matter of fact, KS was shown to negatively impact skeletal health. However, the studies so far published on this topic were mainly focused on evaluation ofbone mineral density (BMD) and bone microstructure, whereas data on fracture risk are still lacking. In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated for ...

With HAART (Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy) introduction, HIV infection history has radically changed. Increased survival has led to new complications, including osteoporosis. The pathogenesis of osteoporosis in HIV patients is multifactorial: virus, HAART, smoking, alcohol, physical inactivity, comorbidities, and hypogonadism can interact in bone depletion.Aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of osteoporosis, vertebral fractures (VF) ...

Introduction: Bone mineral density (BMD) is considered a valid surrogate of bone strength in postmenopausal women, however it lacks sensitivity in individual fracture risk assessment in the setting of women with early breast cancer (EBC) patients treated with aromatase inhibitors (AIs). Indeed, mechanical resistance of bone only partially depends on bone quantity, and bone geometry and size play an important role in bone resistance to fractures. In this cross-sectional study, ...

Osteopathy is an emerging complication of acromegaly, characterized by increased bone turnover, profound abnormalities in trabecular bone structure and high risk of vertebral fractures (VFs). The therapeutic management of skeletal fragility in acromegaly is a challenge, since the risk of fractures may remain high after the control of acromegaly and the effectiveness of bone-active drugs in this clinical setting is unknown. In this retrospective-multicenter study, we aimed at e...