Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency is associated with higher risk of severe COVID-19, and type 2 diabetic patients are a vulnerable group. We described an alarming rate of vitamin D deficiency (around 80.0% with plasma calcifediol <30 ng/ml) in unsupplemented type 2 diabetes patients during the 2020 spring lockdown and the following winter in Northern Gran Canaria. There is an increasing awareness of this problem, both in family physicians and the general population, and t...

Introduction: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a multifactorial and complex chronic disease characterized by insulin resistance and a dysfunctional adipose tissue. T2DM patients usually present a state of low-grade inflammation due to a dysregulation of the cytokine production. Consequently, this seems to contribute to insulin resistance and beta cell failure associated with the progression of this disease.Objective: To examine expression of Interleuki...

Introduction: Here we present our experience of managing patients with orbital well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumour (NET) metastases.Methods: Six patients were identified from the hospital NET database: four male; two female.Results: Median age at diagnosis of primary NET: 69.5 years (range: 40-74 years). Three patients were alive at time of data capture. Of those who passed away: mean survival from diagnosis of primary NET = ...

Objective: Functional hypercortisolism associated with alcohol abuse is an infrequently diagnosed entity of unknown prevalence. Ethanol elicits hypothalamic oversecretion of CRH with subsequent increase in ACTH and cortisol. It may simulate Cushing’s disease both clinically and biochemically but there are no anatomic lesions and the diagnosis is confirmed by normalization of the biochemical pattern after at least 1 month of abstinence from alcohol. We hereby report a clin...

Introduction: It has been reported that patients with obesity and T2DM treated with oral semaglutide not only have a reduced total caloric input, but they also tend to reduce the proportion of fatty and sweet foodstuffs in an ad libitum diet. A modest improvement in the lipid profile of patients with obesity and T2DM treated with oral semaglutide has been reported, but its dependence on weight loss is not well established. We undertook to study the mediation effect of...

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus secondary to exocrine pancreas diseases (pancreatogenic DM) has an unknown incidence and is considered underdiagnosed. Our objective was to evaluate the glycemic control parameters in patients with pancreatogenic DM who started Flash glucose monitoring (FGM).Methods: Prospective, observational study in a Spanish hospital. Patients with pancreatogenic DM who started FGM from January 2021 to August 2022 were recruited. Patie...

Introduction: Differentiation between Cushing’s disease (CD) and ectopic Cushing’s syndrome (ECS) remains a diagnostic challenge. Currently available tests lack sufficient sensitivity and specificity or are invasive and technically difficult. Recently, an ACTH-UFC index has been proposed to differentiate the two forms of ACTH dependent Cushing’s syndrome (CS) (Ding, 2021). This work aimed to confirm the diagnostic utility of the ACTH-UFC index to differentiate C...

Introduction: The most frequent causes of ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome are of pituitary origin and, less frequently, due to ectopic secretion of bronchial carcinoid, small cell lung cancer, and neuroendocrine tumors; it is rarely caused by an ACTH-producing pheochromocytoma.Methodology: We present a case of a 44-year-old female with a history of poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and long-standing obesity with no genetic predispos...

Introduction: Extended-release (ER) metformin has been available in many countries for the last two decades, and it may have definite advantages vs. conventional (i.e., immediate-release) metformin: Reportedly, it may reduce gastrointestinal adverse effects by about half, thus increasing compliance; moreover, the once-a-day schedule may contribute to increased adherence and persistence, and hopefully improved outcomes. However, ER metformin was unavailable in Spain until 2022:...

Introduction: Although usually considered as benign tumors, cavernous hemangiomas are venous malformations due to endothelial dysmorphogenesis and not true neoplasias. They are usually asymptomatic but occasionally can cause compressive symptoms or serious internal bleeding. They may arise in almost any vascularised organ, but their presentation in an adrenal gland is highly infrequent, and can masquerade as pheochromocytoma, adrenal carcinoma or metastatic malignant lesion.</...