Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Acromegaly is the result of chronic growth hormone (GH) excess, which leads to decreased insulin sensitivity and increased glucose production, to the extent that the impaired blood glucose regulation (IGR) can be recognised as Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). This project looked to identify whether patients were adequately screened or identified as having T2DM on diagnosis of acromegaly. The secondary aim was to determine whether acromegaly treatment affected gly...

Introduction: Patients with subclinical Cushing’s syndrome (SCS) are thought to have excess cortisol from an adrenal adenoma, secreting ACTH-independent cortisol that is not fully suppressed by the pituitary feedback system. High cortisol levels may be linked to metabolic complications. There are no specific guidelines on the surgical management of SCS.Objective: To evaluate if patients with SCS are monitored and managed for metabolic complications ...

Case History: 39-year- old female presented to Endocrine services in 2002 with recurrent symptomatic fasting and post-prandial hypoglycaemia. No other medical history of significance noted.Investigations: Short synacthen test, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), several supervised 72- hour fasts. Imaging (anatomic and function) included CT A-P, EBUS, Octreotide scan and MRI Pancreas. Results: Short Synacthen test: Basal Cortisol 25...

Introduction: Prader Willi syndrome is a genetic disorder associated with learning disability, hyperphagia and obesity which leads to early development of obesity related complications. The weight and appetite management remains a challenge with not much success with appetite suppressant drugs and bariatric surgery.GLP-1 receptor analogues appear to be a promising alternative given their effect on appetite control, weight loss and HbA1c and were shown to...

Gonadal dysgenesis with DAX1 duplication as the cause of XY disorder of sexual development is a rare condition. Duplication of this causes male to female sex reversal while mutation or deletion can cause adrenal hypoplasia congenita with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. We present a case of 37-year-old lady who was referred to endocrine clinic with ongoing symptoms of fatigue. She was diagnosed with 46 XY gonadal dysgenesis when she presented with groin swelling at the ...

Introduction: Microparticles (MP) are circulating submicron particles released from cell membranes. They have an important role in intercellular endocrine signalling and may be increased in numerous conditions including cardiovascular disease. However, the influences of gender on MP characteristics are not fully understood.Aim: To compare MP characteristics (size, concentration, cellular origin and inflammatory profile) in healthy males and females acros...

Introduction: Pseudohypoparathyroidism is a rare group of heterogenous disorders. PHP1b consists of renal resistance to PTH in the absence of other physical or endocrine abnormalities and is associated with reduced 1,25-OH vitamin D synthesis, increased phosphate secretion and hypocalcaemia. Despite calcium and vitamin D replacement many patients still have chronically elevated PTH.Case description: A 31-year-old white female presented with symptoms of t...

Case history: A 24-year-old previously healthy male presented to his GP with unilateral “gynaecomastia”, prompting investigations which showed a low FSH of 0.7 (1–12 IU/l). He had normal libido, erectile function, and a normal sense of smell. He had no children. He was subsequently investigated for persistent dysuria but imaging and cystoscopy were entirely normal. He was a non-smoker who took little alcohol and worked as an insurance agent. His past medical his...

Case history: A 53-year-old obsessive body builder, presented with severe constipation. He had used growth hormone, anabolic steroids and testosterone at variable doses for over 20 years. He had a protein intake of over 400 g/day over an extended period. He denied osmotic symptoms, joint or muscle pains, and excessive tiredness. Previously, he had benign prostatic hyperplasia and renal stone disease but was not on any prescription medication and took no over the counter ‘...

Introduction: Obesity is associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk but the underlying pathways are unclear. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are circulating submicron particles containing proteins, enzymes and mRNA of their donor cells. They could mediate some of these risks by paracrine actions in target cells.Aims: To compare the concentration and characteristics of circulating EVs from healthy volunteers (HV)...