Endocrine Abstracts

Background and objectives: Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency is common in obese individuals. We aimed to determine the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency within a cohort of severely obese individuals, exploring potential underlying associations.Methods: In a retrospective analysis of 703 patients sequentially presenting for bariatric surgery assessment, 663 had complete demographic, anthropometric, and haematological measures (vitamin D, folate, ...

Introduction: In 2009, the Turner’s Syndrome Support Society UK released a checklist for the management of Turner’s Syndrome patients. The aim of this audit was to evaluate how well we are doing as a Tertiary Paediatric endocrine unit in meeting these required standards of care.Method: We performed a retrospective audit in June 2016 of patients diagnosed with Turner’s Syndrome in our unit between 2007 and 2015 using the Electronic Care Rec...

Introduction: A systematic review and meta-analysis undertaken by Bell et al, 2013 found limited evidence to recommend carbohydrate counting as the standard dietary therapy in Type 1 Diabetes (T1DM). There seems to be a gap in current knowledge about comparing carbohydrate counting with other meal planning approaches for children and young people (CYP) with diabetes and the effects on clinical outcomes (Gillespie et al. 1998). Current literature also suggests that the...

Background: Population data has shown an increased incidence in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) following pandemic influenza A (H1N1). Worldwide studies have shown an increase in the incidence of T1DM in 2020 and 2021. Both locally and regionally in Northern Ireland we noticed a similar increase and decided to investigate further.Method: From March 2021 we tested newly diagnosed T1DM patients in Antrim Area Hospital for Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. If ant...

Case report: A previously well 16 year old female presented with a one day history of being unwell with agitation and confusion on the background of a three month history of polydipsia and polyuria. Initial biochemistry was in keeping with severe diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA): pH-6.75, HC03- 2.6 mmol/l, blood glucose- 21 mmol/l and ketones >4 mmol/l. Hypokalaemia of 3.3 mmol/l. She was admitted to ICU given the severity of DKA, biochemical disturbance and altered mental stat...

Case history: A 30-year-old Afrocaribbean lady with a history of Graves’ thyrotoxicosis (2012) and subsequent thyroidectomy (2013) presented to the antenatal clinic in January 2020 at 9+6w gestation. Medication included levothyroxine 125 mg daily. She had a history of neonatal thyrotoxicosis in her first pregnancy in 2017 which required carbimazole therapy due to fetal tachycardia.Investigations: At booking, thyroid function tests (TFTs) showed a TS...

Hormones and other analytes that are requested in the investigation of endocrine abnormalities are routinely measured using automated immunoassays in clinical laboratories. Assay kit inserts usually detail interference in terms of % cross reactivity, but this information is not always communicated to the clinician. Another complicating factor is that different assay platforms show different degrees of interference, therefore clinicians need to be aware of the source of their p...

Introduction: Rickets was once considered to be a disease of the Victorian Era but it has become increasingly common in recent years. The most common cause is Vitamin D deficiency; however it is important to investigate for rarer causes if Vitamin D deficiency has been excluded.Case report: A healthy, Caucasian 3 year old girl was referred due to bowing of her femora, apparent since she started walking at 13 months. She was reported to be clumsy and tire...

Metastatic disease to the thyroid is rare, accounting for 2–3% of thyroid malignancy. The most common malignancy to metastasise to thyroid is renal cell carcinoma (48.1%), followed by colorectal (10.4%) and lung (8.3%). Clinically, clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) can present with thyroid metastases years or decades later. Several studies have shown that thyroid gland abnormalities, including nodular goitre or thyroiditis, are more likely to harbour metastases....

Background: Although it is well established that subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have an increased fracture risk, there have been conflicting reports on the relationship of T2D to bone mineral density (BMD). Such discrepancies could be due to failure to adjust for potential confounding factors which could influence BMD.Objectives: To assess the relationship between type 2 diabetes and BMD at the femoral neck and spine in diabetic and non-diabetic sub...