Endocrine Abstracts

We present a case of a 26 years old female who was rushed to hospital with 4 days history of abdominal pain, vomiting and dizziness. She also had one episode of diarrhoea. Further history revealed that she had lost 32 kilograms of weight over the last 18 months through diet and exercise. There were no signs suggestive of an eating disorder.On examination she was peripherally cold, tachycardic (117/min), hypotensive (86/50 mmHg) and sweaty. Her Glasgow Co...

Liquorice (scientific name Glycyrrhiza glabra) is historically used for gastrointestinal complaints. Now it is primarily used as a flavoring agent in the tobacco, confectionery and to some extent in the pharmaceutical and beverage industries. Excessive intake of liquorice may cause a primary hyperaldosteronism-like syndrome characterized by sodium and water retention, hypertension, hypokalaemia, metabolic alkalosis, low-renin activity, and hypoaldosteronism. We descri...

Hypoparathyridsm and pseudohypoparathyroidsm are the common causes of pathological calcification in the brain though 0.3–1.5% cases are physiological. The clinical presentation of hypoparathyroidsm can vary with the calcium levels and chronicity of hypocalcaemia. We describe a 39-year-old female who had type one diabetes for the last 23 years. She was repeatedly hospitalised with collapse episodes thought to be hypoglycaemic though never proved. She also had primary hypop...

Thyrotoxicosis is a common disorder especially in women. Most of the patients tolerate antithyroid medications very well with very few developing life threatening side effects. We describe a 64 years old gentleman who was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism secondary to Grave’s disease (autoimmune). He was treated with Carbimazole 20 mg daily. With in a month, he presented with malaise and reduced oral intake. Laboratory investigations showed acute cholestatic hepatitis with r...

Background: Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) which is widely used for the management of type 2 diabetes as well as for the obesity treatment. Evidence suggest that the level of HbA1c reduction and weight loss with oral semaglutide were similar to those of the subcutaneous formulation1. However, oral formulation not only improves the patient’s compliance to treatment but also makes it a favourable option for those who are relu...

Introduction: Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is the third most common endocrine disorder; its evaluation includes biochemical investigations and imaging studies prior to surgical intervention. Imaging is advised as an aide to surgery and not for diagnostic purposes. Coexistence of PHPT and vitamin D deficiency is common; however, the exact nature of the relationship (causal vs secondary) is not clear.Subject and methods: We conducted a retrospective ...

Introduction: Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 2 is a rare disease characterized by the presence of autoimmune Addison’s disease in combination with thyroid autoimmune disease and/or type 1 diabetes mellitus, and possible occurrence of other autoimmune non-endocrine disorders. The combination of the three glands diseases is even rarer and is referred to as Carpenter’s syndrome.A long time interval is often present between the manifestatio...

Background: Prolactinomas are the major subtype (20–30%) of pituitary adenomas. Microprolactinomas (<1 cm) are commoner in females, whereas macroprolactinomas (>1 cm) occur mainly in men. Giant prolactinomas are rare (2–3% of prolactinomas) – features include size of ≥4 cm, with significant extrasellar extension and prolactin levels of >1000 μg/l.Case report: We report the case of a 35-year-old man with type 2 diabet...

Introduction: Unilateral proptosis may be due to thyroid eye disease (TED) or retro-orbital tumours. TED is an autoimmune process affecting orbital and periorbital tissue, and generally occurs in patients with Graves thyrotoxicosis. A small subset of patients with TED (5%) have normal thyroid function, but TED is rarer in hypothyroid patients.Case report: We report the case of a 57-year-old lady who initially presented to ophthalmology with diplopia. She...