Endocrine Abstracts

Osteoporosis is a reduction in bone mass, with micro-architectural deterioration, leading to an increased risk of fragility fractures. A secondary cause for osteoporosis (caused by a specific well-defined clinical disorder) is found in a proportion of patients, which varies in different patient populations.We evaluated the utility of a 'standard panel' (FBC, PV, plasma protein electrophoresis & BJP, thyroid function tests, U&Es, calcium and bone ...

A 71 year old woman presented to neurologist with taste disturbance, tingling and stabbing pains across the face. Examination, blood tests and MRI scan of the brain were normal. Later that year she lost considerable amount of hair, developed severe onycholysis, nausea and loose stools. Weight started to decline and skin became darker. Endocrine referral was made.On examination she had titubation, partial alopecia and severe onycholysis. BP 140/80 mm Hg, ...

Introduction: Prostate carcinoma is a recognised yet rare cause of Cushing’s syndrome. This report describes two cases in which Cushing’s syndrome was associated with advanced prostate cancer.Case 1: A 70-year man presented with a very short history of swelling of his face and legs. He was known to have prostate adenocarcinoma with bony metastases. He was hypokalaemic and resistant to standard potassium replacement. He had a Cushingoid appearan...

Studies have demonstrated an increased mortality in patients with acromegaly. The major cause of premature death was cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular mortality was increased in patients with high levels of growth hormone (GH). Somatostatin analogues, such as octreotide, are effective in relieving the symptoms of acromegaly and supressing GH hypersecretion. Long acting preparations, such as Sandostatin-LAR, offer theoretical advantages over SC preparations, such as improv...

Glucokinase (GCK) serves as the blood glucose ‘sensor’ in pancreatic β-cells, being critically involved in transducing elevated blood glucose into increased insulin secretion. Inactivating GCK mutations cause a subtype of maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY), whereas activating mutations are a rare cause of hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycaemia, usually presenting in infancy.We now describe the case of a 60-year-old woman who first presen...

Background: Familial pituitary adenomas can occur in the classic syndromes of MEN-1 and Carney complex. Recently an autosomal dominant disease with incomplete penetrance has been described as ‘familial-isolated-pituitary-adenoma’ (FIPA). Previous studies of familial acromegaly and gigantism disclosed germline mutations in the AIP gene located in the previously suspected chromosome 11q13 region.Aims: To analyse the prevalence of AIP-mutations in...