Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Urinary free cortisol (UFC) determination has suboptimal sensitivity (SE) and specificity (SP) especially in mild Cushing’s syndrome (CS).Aim: To determine the performance of UFC and its metabolite cortisone (UFE) measured using accurate assays such as HPLC and LC–MS/MS in diagnosing patients with CS.Patients and methods: Sixty-seven patients with CS were compared to 49 sex- and age-matched non-CS. UFF and U...

Background: COVID-19 pandemic is a novel, potentially adverse condition for patients with adrenal insufficiency (AI), whose life expectancy and quality of life (QoL) are impaired due to their risk of infections and stress-triggered acute events. Therapeutic usefulness of glucocorticoids in COVID-19 is debated, but infected AI patients require prompt replacement tailoring.Objectives: In a cohort of AI patients, to assess:– the...

Introduction and aim: A prompt diagnosis of Cushing’s Syndrome (CS) in high-risk populations is mandatory: 1-mg dexamethasone suppression test (1-mg DST); late night salivary cortisol (LNSC) and urinary free cortisol (UFC) are recommend, despite thresholds calculated in retrospective studies. Our aim was to study the diagnostic accuracy of LNSC measured with chemiluminescence assay in a prospective study, confirming discrepancies with mass spectrometry (MS).<p class="...

Background: ACTH-secreting pituitary adenomas represent two-thirds of Cushing’s syndrome (CS), the so-called Cushing’s disease (CD). These tumors are sometimes >10 mm in maximal diameter (macro-CD), but the majority of them are <10 mm (micro-CD). The aim of this study was to compare baseline characteristics of patients with micro-CD and macro-CD.Materials and methods: Clinical, hormonal and radiological data of 226 patients with CD were...

Objective: In Cushing’s Syndrome, chronic glucocorticoid excess and their disrupted circadian rhythm lead to insulin-resistance, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia and cardiovascular comorbidities. As undifferentiated, self-renewing progenitors of adipocytes, mesenchymal stem cells may display the detrimental effects of glucocorticoid excess, thus revealing a promising model to study molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic complications of Cushing’s Syndrome.<p cl...

Background: Dysnatremia is common in hospitalized patients, often worsening the prognosis in pneumopathies and critical illnesses, such as COVID-19. Here, hyponatremia is an indicator of pulmonary involvement, while hypernatremia is associated with worse assistance outcomes, particularly when resulting from an overcorrected hyponatremia. Longer hospitalizations, readmissions after discharge and higher short- and long-term mortality rates have been observed in acute patients ex...

Beyond the huge impact on physical health, coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) epidemic represents a significant psychological stressor, causing effects on mental health. The psychological distress of the epidemic and consequent mass quarantine on patients with hypocortisolism, particularly frail and vulnerable to infections and stress, is unknown. The current multicentre, web-survey-based, case-control study evaluated the psychological impact of COVID-19 quarantine in a large c...