Endocrine Abstracts

A 42-year-old lady, previously fit and well, presented to the Accident and Emergency department following a cardiac arrest. She had received four D.C. shocks by the ambulance crew prior to cardioversion to sinus rhythm from ventricular fibrillation. She was admitted to ITU and during this admission developed a grandmal seizure. Physical examination was unremarkable and CT scan of her head was normal. Blood tests including full blood count and biochemistry were all normal excep...

Background: Hypogonadism in men is associated with osteoporosis and low libido. Serum testosterone in men falls after the age of 40 years; however the benefits of replacement therapy are not established. We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to investigate the effect of testosterone transdermal patches on bone turnover, body composition, quality of life (QoL) and well-being in men with borderline hypogonadism.Methods: 38 borderline hypogo...

Background: Anecdotally patients with chronic pain on opioid analgesia have functional hypopituitarism, and studies in opioid addicts show suppressed pituitary function. We conducted a prospective observational study to determine the endocrine status of patients with chronic pain on opioid analgesia. Methods: 37 consecutive patients with chronic back pain attending the pain clinic were enrolled. 22 patients (age 45+/-9 years) were on long-term opioid analgesia and 15 (age 53 +...