Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Congenital pituitary stalk interruption syndrome (PSIS) is a rare condition, characterized by the triad (not always complete): absence/hypoplasia of the pituitary stalk, hypoplasia/aplasia of the anterior pituitary and absence or ectopy of the posterior pituitary high signal intensity, on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). PSIS implies a permanent GH deficiency, in 77% associated with other pituitary hormones deficiencies. The aetiology remains uncertain, but some...

Introduction: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and multiple sclerosis (MS) are organ-specific autoimmune diseases. Their association, first described in a study in Sardinia, left questions about their clustering, clarified by the Familial Autoimmune and Diabetes Study, which showed for the first time an highly increased prevalence of MS in adults with T1DM, reinforced by further epidemiological studies that also revealed increased risk of T1DM in MS patients.<p class="abste...

Introduction: Ectopic thyroid is a rare entity, resulting from developmental defects at early stages of thyroid embriogenesis. It’s prevalence is 1/100 000–300 000 in general population and 1/4000–8000 in patients with thyroid disease. This condition is more common in females, in Asians and may occur at any age, although it’s most common at younger ages. The most frequent location of ectopic thyroid tissue is at the base of the tongue. In 70–75% of cas...

Introduction: MEN1 is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait, with a prevalence of 2–20/100 000 in the general population. It is characterized by tumors envolving the parathyroid glands, the endocrine pancreas and the pituitary. Other tumors are more rarely associated: adrenal adenomas, carcinoid tumors, pheocromocytomas, angiofibromas, lipomas, collagenomas and meningiomas. The presence of two or more of MEN1 associated tumors is diagnostic of the syndrome.<p class...

Introduction: Male hypogonadism is defined by lower levels of testosterone than expected for age-matched individuals. In primary or hypergonadotropic hypogonadism, LH and FSH show a compensatory elevation to low testosterone levels, while in the secondary or hypogonadotropic hypogonadism the low testosterone levels are a result of insufficient gonadotropin levels. Hyperprolactinemia is a cause of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. It is not only caused by lactotroph adenomas (prol...

Introduction: Primary hyperparathyroidism is the most common cause of hypercalcemia in the outpatient setting, and a single parathyroid adenoma is usually the culprit. Clinical presentation is commonly dictated by hypercalcemia. Symptoms can range from mild non-specific malaise and gastrointestinal disturbances, through bone disease, kidney stones, cardiovascular and neuromuscular dysfunction to, ultimately, coma and death. However, the vast majority of patien...

Abstract: We report the case of a 65-year-old man who presented with erectile dysfunction to an appointment in our Endocrinology department. He referred fatigue, weight gain and constipation as secondary complaints that had been steadily evolving throughout the past 4 years. He denied other symptoms such as visual impairment or headaches as well as the consumption of any medications or drugs. His past medical history was unremarkable. On examination, BMI was 25.8 kg/m2</s...

Postpartum thyroid dysfunction occurs in 5–10% of women in the general population within one year of delivery. The prevalence of postpartum Graves’ disease is estimated at 0.54%. Postpartum thyroiditis is much more common. Differential diagnosis is essential for an adequate treatment. Radioactive iodine uptake can be useful to establish the etiologic diagnosis, but is contraindicated during lactation. Elevated titers of antithyrotropin receptor antibodies (TRAbs) are...

Introduction: Hypothyroidism can affect the nervous system, commonly causing mono and polyneuropathies which show a variable frequency and pattern. Its mechanisms are not fully understood. Symptoms usually correlate better with the duration of the dysfunction rather than with its severity and typically improve significantly after medical therapy.Case report: A 58-year-old woman was admitted at our hospital with a one-year history of progressive weakness ...

Introduction: Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is a rare form of thyroid cancer, making up about 3–5% of all cases. It is characterized by the synthesis and secretion of calcitonin (Ct). Measurement of Ct has low specificity but is a highly sensitive method for the detection of MTC. MTC with normal or only slightly elevated Ct is a rare occurrence and there are few such reports in the literature.Case report: A 61-year-old male patient was referred ...