Endocrine Abstracts

Because of quite variable clinical manifestations of Cushing’s syndrome and overlap with more common medical problems, its diagnosis is frequently mistaken, with consequent considerable delay from the first presentation to a different primary and secondary care physicians to a final diagnosis, often made by endocrinologist. The diagnostic latency in reported studies vary from six months to ten years. We report a case of a 54-years-old female admitted to the hospital thro...

In the last decade, new evidence on Cushing’s syndrome (CS) complications and therapies have gradually emerged. CS is associated with well known systemic complications, mainly including metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, immune and infectious disorders, skeletal diseases, neuropsychiatric disorders, as well as impairment of gonadal function with impact on reproduction and sexuality. However, more recently several studies specifically focused on muscle and brain s...

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that manifests itself in the gradual loss of cognitive and behavioral functions. In humans, glucagon is processed in pancreatic alpha cells located next to insulin-secreting beta cells, suggesting a local interaction. Glucagon is also produced in the intestinal L-cells and in small amounts in the hypothalamus. The main function of glucagon is to counteract the effects of insulin and thus maintain balanced blood gluco...

Objective: Interindividual variation in glucocorticoid sensitivity can be partly explained by polymorphisms in the GC receptor gene. The most frequent polymorphisms of the GR gene (N363S and BclI) are associated with increased BMI, less lean mass, higher cholesterol and insulin levels. In the present study we investigated the role of the N363S and the BclI polymorphisms in patients with adrenal disease to evaluate their prevalence and the possible clinic and hormone correlatio...

Ectopic Cushing’s syndrome (CS) is commonly caused by malignancy, often behaves aggressively and may not clinically manifest with features of hypercortisolism due to its rapid course and associated cachexia. This may mislead clinicians into discounting the diagnosis in patients with more indolent features of CS. We present a 41 year old woman with an 8 year history of Cushingoid features with associated hypertension, obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. Investigations confirmed C...

Background: Ectopic Cushing’s syndrome (ECS) is a rare and severe condition at times presenting acutely with intense hypercortisolism. The intensity of hypercortisolism can be disproportionate to underlying tumoral condition, and associated life-threatening complications are common arising suddenly. Hypercortisolism must be controlled rapidly pending definitive treatment of tumoral source to avoid life-threatening consequences.Case Summary: 31-year-...

Introduction: Cushing’s disease (CD) is caused by high adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), usually by a pituitary microadenoma.Material and method: This is a case report investigated in several Romanian centers by performing: morning plasma cortisol, circadian rhythm of plasma cortisol, plasma ACTH, dexamethasone (DXM) suppression tests.Case data: A 57-year female, known with hypertension and osteopenia, was ...

Introduction: Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory and T-cell mediated autoimmune disease of skin. Its prevalence is 2–3%. It may improve due to immunesupressive effects of hypercortisolaemia during the active phase of Cushing’s syndrome (CS) and may exacerbate after treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate association of psoriasis with CS.Methods: We prospectively followed 62 patients who had been diagnosed with CS between 2010 and ...

Cushing’s syndrome (CS) during pregnancy is a rare metabolic condition with only a few cases reported in the literature. Misdiagnosis of CS is common because of the overlapping features of fatigue, weight gain, striae, and emotional changes that occur during normal pregnancy. The clinical presentation together with laboratory and imaging findings help to make a diagnosis. However, changes in maternal hormones and their binding proteins complicate assessment of the normal ...

Introduction: Cyclic Cushing´s syndrome (CCS) is a rare disorder with a wide clinical variability, characterized by repeated episodes of cortisol excess and periods of normal or even low cortisol secretion. Different periodical diagnostic tests are required to confirm hypercortisolism and thereafter imaging techniques and laboratory studies can be performed to localize the cause.Case report: A 17-year-old female patient with a personal history of ad...