Endocrine Abstracts

A 19-year-old Cushingoid lady was referred with significant hirsutism requiring daily facial shaving despite previous laser epilation and regular waxing. She had a background history of PCOS, polycythaemia, hypertension and had been labelled as having a ‘Cushingoid appearance’. Extensive investigations elsewhere (UFCs, MR pituitary, and CT adrenals) had failed to diagnose the syndrome. She was taking metformin to regulate menses and lercanidipine and bisprolol. Spiro...

Seventy six year old man presented with sudden onset headache for 3 days. He was seen by the GP and treated for migraine. But no improvement in his headache and he developed drooping of left eyelid and blurring of vision. No other neurological symptom.On examination left ptosis with normal visual fields to confrontation method. Initial differential diagnosis was isolated 3rd nerve palsy probably due to posterior communicating artery aneurysm. He was on a...

An 18-year-old male referred to endocrine department 3 years ago with symptoms of tremor in both hands and query thyrotoxicosis. Presenting TFTs showed raised T3 and T4 levels with normal TSH (FT4 – 45 pmol/l, FT3 – 3.3 pmol/l and TSH of 1.4 mU/l). There was family history of thyroid disease with both the patient’s father and grandmother diagnosed with overactive thyroid. Patient’s TFTs were reproduced with differ...

In patients with pituitary disease stimulation tests, such as the insulin tolerance test, are performed as tests of the HPA axis and widely used as the basis for commencing hydrocortisone replacement therapy.We conducted a pilot study to investigate the relationship between the peak cortisol response to insulin-induced hypoglycaemia and daily CPR. Isotopic CPRs were studied in 10 patients (5 male, mean age 44±13 years) with pituitary disease and a s...

Patients with acromegaly die prematurely from CVD. Hypertension is more prevalent with increased peripheral vascular resistance thought to be due to structural remodelling of resistance vessels.We investigated structural properties and reactivity of small arteries in 20 healthy controls(55±11 years, 10 m) and 43 patients with acromegaly (55±14 years, 29 m), split into active disease (AD, n=17, 56±15 years, 13 m) or remission (CD, <i...