Endocrine Abstracts

Polymyalgia rheumatica is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic disorder of unknown aetiology. Hashimoto thyroiditis is an autoimmune thyroid disorder characterised by the presence of antithyroid antibodies. Hashimoto thyroiditis has been described in patients with systemic autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus. The aim of the study was to describe the case of a patient who had polymyalgia rheumatica and developed Hashimoto thyroiditis.<p class="a...

The adrenolytic agent mitotane [o,p’-DDD or 1,1-(o,p’-dichlorodiphenyl)-2,2-dichloroethane] is a derivative of the insecticide DDT and is used for the treatment of adrenal carcinoma. It induces necrosis and atrophy of the adrenal cortex. Estrogenic action after single exposure but intense antiestrogenic action after repeated exposure of porcine ovarian follicles has been observed in vitro (Wojtowicz et al. 2004).The aim of the stu...

Vitamin D deficiency has been implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, such as diabetes mellitus type 1 and multiple sclerosis. Reduced vitamin D intake has been linked to increased susceptibility to the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and vitamin D deficiency has been found to be associated with disease activity in RA patients. The aim was to evaluate vitamin D status in RA patients and to assess the relationship between vitamin D levels and disease act...

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multifactorial multisystem autoimmune disorder. Although the survival of SLE patients has been improved with the administration of immunomodulatory therapy, patients seem to suffer from complications of the disease such as atherosclerosis. Lipoprotein Lp(a) is a known risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis.The aim was to evaluate lipoprotein Lp(a) and its relationship with disease activity in patients w...

Epidemiological studies show increased mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). One of the causes of death in RA patients is cardiovascular disease. Lipoprotein Lp(a) appears to be an independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the study was to evaluate serum lipid and lipoprotein Lp(a) levels in patients with RA.Patients with RA, n=50, aged 24–65 years and healthy controls, n=50 were...

The presence of lipomas is a characteristic of the syndrome of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1. The presence of myxomas, however, is a characteristic of Carney syndrome.The aim of the study is the description of a patient with the syndrome of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 who presented with a malignant angiomyxoma.A male patient, aged 42 years, presented with intense gastric complaints and was diagnosed with a gastroduode...

Adrenal carcinoma is a rare neoplasm with poor prognosis. Mitotane (o,p′-DDD) is the only known therapeutic agent with action on the adrenal. Although it has been used for many decades, its pharmacological properties and exact mechanism of action are still debated. It has been suggested that its therapeutic effect is dose-dependent (Baudin et al 2001). High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been used for the exact measurement of mitotane dose.<p cla...

The detection of antithyroid antibodies, specifically of antithyroglobulin antibodies, in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma after near-total thyroidectomy, radioiodine therapy and thyroxine suppression presents difficulties in screening patients for residual disease or recurrence of the disease as it may interfere with thyroglobulin measurement. The aim of the study was to estimate the rate of decrease in antithyroid antibody levels in patients with differentiated...