Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Central hypothyroidism can be difficult to diagnose as TSH values often reside within the normal range. The Endocrine Society clinical guideline for hormone replacement in hypopituitarism suggests levothyroxine is indicated for treatment of secondary hypothyroidism where fT4 levels decrease by ≥20%. To determine the reliability of this biochemical marker of secondary hypothyroidism we evaluated evolution of TFTs over time within a cohort of NFPA.<p class=...

Acromegaly, a chronic disorder of excessive growth hormone secretion, leads to functional limitation and impaired mobility most commonly due to arthropathy. Patients with biochemically controlled acromegaly have reported persistent impairment in prior studies. We aimed to compare the functional differences in patients with biochemically controlled acromegaly to those with uncontrolled disease by means of validated questionnaires. Between March 2017 and May 2022, patients over ...

Acromegaly is caused by excessive growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) secretion. Arthropathy is a leading cause of morbidity and impaired quality of life in acromegalic patients, often persisting despite therapeutic interventions and biochemical control. This cross-sectional study aimed to characterise the extent and impact of arthropathy in terms of pain and functional impairment. Validated questionnaires, including DASH (Disabilities of the Arm, Should...

One of the most prevalent clinical manifestations of acromegaly is arthropathy which persists despite adequate symptom and biochemical control, and contributes to impaired quality of life. Patients with acromegaly have high psychiatry morbidity and increased prevalence of depression and poor psychological wellbeing. In a large cohort we aim to determine the effects of joint disease and disease control on quality of life in acromegaly. Eighty-five patients (45 women; median age...

Background: Despite biochemical control of GH and IGF-I levels patients with acromegaly continue to have marked impairment of their well-being. The acromegalic arthropathy has been identified as a significant contributor to the impaired well-being of these individuals. Few data are available to determine the impact of the arthropathy on function.Methods: Patients with a diagnosis of acromegaly under follow-up in six tertiary pituitary centres were invite...

Background: Despite biochemical control of GH and IGF-I levels patients with acromegaly continue to have marked impairment of their well-being. The acromegalic arthropathy has been identified as a significant contributor to the impaired well-being of these individuals. We aimed to establish the true prevalence of arthropathy, distribution of joint involvement and use of analgesics for arthropathy in a large series of patients with acromegaly.Methods: Pat...

Background: Patients with acromegaly experience early onset arthropathy characterised by initial joint space widening due to cartilage hyperplasia, with later degenerative changes characterised by joint space narrowing, sclerosis and osteophyte formation. To date no specific treatment is available for the arthropathy these patients experience, with management being limited to analgesics, anti-inflammatory agents, physiotherapy, joint injections, and potentially joint replaceme...