Endocrine Abstracts

IntroductionPrediction of the efficacy of antithyroid medication in Graves' disease would be of great value. There is no consensus if TSH levels at the end of treatment accurately predict relapse. Previous studies have not carefully defined Graves' disease nor used the same treatment protocol in all patients.AimTo study patients with Graves' disease treated with antithyroid medication to confirm or refute an ...

BackgroundPatients with Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD) are known to have an excess risk of vascular disease. Previous work has shown an increase in their arterial stiffness. The effect of GH on blood pressure is still unclear.Materials and Methods16 patients with GHD (6 males) and no history of existing vascular disease or hypertension, between the ages of 18 and 65 were recruited (mean 45.4 plus/minus 3.5 y...

Hypopituitary patients receiving conventional hormonal therapy, excluding Growth Hormone, have an increased risk of vascular mortality. Significant endothelial dysfunction with impaired aortic distensibility has been demonstrated in these patients with some improvement in arterial stiffness after GH therapy. Inflammation is central in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and C-reactive protein is a validated marker for predicting cardiovascular risk.Fo...

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) has been postulated to function as a vasodilator via a nitric oxide (NO) pathway. IGF-1/growth hormone deficiency in humans is associated with endothelial dysfunction and increased cardiovascular mortality.We compared the effects of IGF-1 on vascular function in control Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) (n=6) and stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats characterised by endothelial dysfunction (SHRSP) (n=7)....