Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: While most common aetiologies accounting for hyperthyroidism are straightforward and respond predictably to treatment, a subset provides diagnostic or therapeutic challenge. We report such a case.Case report: A 26-year-old Afro-Caribbean male presented with symptoms of thyrotoxicosis. FT4 was 50 (12–20 pmol/l), FT3 11.5 (3–8 pmol/l) and TSH 5.38 (0.27–4.20 mU/l). He had diffuse non-tender thyromegaly without eye signs. Thyroi...

Objective: Tablet levothyroxine (L-T4) is the common used therapy for hypothyroidism. In order to assess a good compliance to the therapy, treated patients are monitored with the execution of annual thyroid hormonal test. The stability of TSH levels in hypothyroid patients (with no malabsorption issues), treated with liquid L-T4, compared to that of the patients treated with tablet L-T4, remained a poorly understood topic. This study has the purpose to deepen this issue.<p...

Acromegaly is associated with skeletal fragility and high risk of vertebral fractures (VFs), but the determinants of such a risk are still under investigation and it is not clear whether replacement therapies of coexistent hypopituitarism may influence prevalence and incidence of VFs. In this cross sectional study, fourty acromegaly patients (24 M, 16 F; median age, 57 years; range, 25–72), 20 with active disease, were evaluated for the effects of replacement therapy of c...

Objective: To determine the impact of combined antidepressant drugs and LT4 enhancers in treatment of patients with Major Depressive Disorder.Method: We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled trial to determine whether LT4 supplementation had any augmentation effect on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The study involved 70 patients with major depressive disorder; patients with hypothyroidism were excluded. Of the participants, 38 were...

Objective: Many patients receiving thyroid hormone replacement therapy complain of persistent lethargy and related symptoms even with normal TSH levels. However, it remains unclear whether this is related to thyroxine replacement or coincidental psychological morbidity.Design: Using general practice computer records, 961 patients on thyroxine (minimum of 4 months) and their age- and sex-matched controls were identified and sent a two-page questionnaire, comprising the shor...

Hyponatremia is one of the commonest electrolyte abnormality. Various neurological conditions including Guillain Barre syndrome could precipitate it. Very few citations in literature report SIADH in CIDP.A 68-year-old gentleman was admitted with worsening confusion and unsteady gait following a flu like illness few weeks ago, with increasing drowsiness for 3 days. His past medical history included hypertension and benign prostatic hypertrophy, being trea...

Context: Exogenous oestrogen administration causes prolactinoma formation in rats and there are anecdotal reports of oestrogen treatment and prolactinoma formation in gender reassignment males to females. It remains unclear whether chronic exposure to high dose oestrogen in women is linked with prolactinoma development.Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of high dose subcutaneous estrogen on prolactin and gonadotrophin levels of 101 wo...

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterised by occurrence of parathyroid tumours and neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) of the pancreas and pituitary, which is caused by mutations of the MEN1 gene, encoding menin. Mouse models are important in elucidating mechanisms of MEN1 tumourigenesis and treatments, but the current models have limitations. Thus, in conventional heterozygous MEN1 knockout models, tumour d...

Idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH) is caused by an isolated defect in GnRH release or action and classified as the Kallmann syndrome with associated anosmia or normosmic IHH in the presence of a normal sense of smell. Patients with IHH have absent or incomplete sexual maturation and infertility. Usually long term GnRH or gonadotropin therapy in these patients can induce spermatogenesis and puberty and is followed by testosterone therapy to maintain normal virilizat...

Cushing’s syndrome is a rare disorder of hypercortisolism with an incidence of three cases per million each year. The 1 mg overnight dexamethasone suppression test (ODST) is a commonly used screening test. Other screening tests include 24 h urinary free cortisol and diurnal variability of serum cortisol.We carried out an audit of ODST with the intention of examining patient outcome.Data were collected retrospectively over a tw...