Endocrine Abstracts

Long bone fractures are quite common in teenagers during rapid growth, due to the lag between longitudinal growth and cortical consolidation and trabecular structure. Vertebral fractures are uncommon in young people, and should always raise concern. A low trauma fracture is defined as a fall from standing height or less, but it is important to take a good history of the mechanism of fracture, and any previous fractures. Family history is important too....

Challenges of hypercalcaemia can arise in several points in management: In diagnosis (for example differentiating primary hyperparathyroidism from familial hypocalciuric hypercalcaemia), in emergency management (for example poor response to intravenous saline and bisphosphonates), and in elective management (considering which patients are likely to benefit from parathyroidectomy).This session will use case examples to explore commonly encountered problem...

Challenges of hypercalcaemia can arise in several points in management: In diagnosis (for example differentiating primary hyperparathyroidism from familial hypocalciuric hypercalcaemia), in emergency management (for example poor response to intravenous saline and bisphosphonates), and in elective management (considering which patients are likely to benefit from parathyroidectomy).This session will use case examples to explore commonly encountered problem...

HR-pQCT assesses peripheral sites (distal radius and distal tibia). The technique has all the advantages of quantitative CT; it makes a volumetric assessment of bone mineral density (rather than the areal measurement made by DXA), it is less affected by overlying soft tissue than DXA, and it can separate cortical and trabecular compartments. Because it measures peripheral sites in a purpose-built device, it can use high energy radiation to obtain high resolution images, with a...

In general, higher body weight in adults is associated with higher bone mineral density and is protective against fracture, but may be associated with an increased risk of some fractures. Possible mechanisms for higher bone density include mechanostat response to increased loading and increased oestrogen production by adipocyte aromatase.It has been increasingly recognised that bone interacts with other organs and tissues (such as fat, the gastrointestin...

There are many current uncertainties surrounding the definition and treatment of vitamin D deficiency.This presentation will review the synthesis and metabolism of vitamin D and its multisystem effects.How should we define significant vitamin D deficiency? Should threshold be 30, 50 or 75 nmol/l?How should vitamin D deficiency be treated? What is a safe upper limit of serum vitamin D, and are there adverse ef...

High-resolution peripheral computed tomography (HR-pQCT) (XtremeCT, Scanco) obtains three-dimensional images of the distal radius with a resolution of 82 microns, which enables detailed study of the microarchitecture of cortical and trabecular bone. Better description of the microarchitectural changes in bone with ageing will improve understanding of which preventative and therapeutic interventions are most likely to be effective.The aim of this study wa...

The injectable contraceptive depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA, Depo-Provera®) is used by over nine million women worldwide. It induces amenorrhoea, raising concern about effects on bone density. This study aims to ascertain if the skeletal effects of DMPA are age-specific and to identity the mechanisms through which DMPA acts on the skeleton. The study was approved by the local Ethics Committee. We recruited 100 pairs of women ages 18–25 and 35&#150...

Aims/hypothesis: Bone turnover markers mainly reflect three processes: bone remodelling, linear growth, and bone modelling. These occur at different rates depending on age. Oestradiol levels, a mediator of all processes of bone turnover, vary according to sex and age whereas, parathyroid hormone levels, an important regulator of bone remodelling, vary with age. We hypothesised that gender and age differences in the bone formation marker, serum amino terminal propeptide of type...

Background: Over-dosing and under-dosing of vitamin D in children and young people appears to be common, based on our audit of current practice. The contribution of ethnicity, skin colour, and vitamin D binding protein (VDBP) genotype has not been fully explored during vitamin D treatment.Objective: To investigate how ethnicity/skin colour and genetic variation affect the response to 150 000 units of vitamin D administered to young adults of white Caucas...