Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Hypoparathyroidism is one of the most common complications following thyroidectomy and it is associated with significant morbidity. It usually occurs within the first 48 h after thyroid surgery, however hypocalcemia symptoms may only begin up to 64 h after surgery. Therefore, early detection of hypoparathyroidism is essential to a secure postsurgery discharge.Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the potential risk factors for postsurgical hypop...

Introduction: Calcitonin is produced by parafollicular C cells of the thyroid, increased values being considered the hallmark for the medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). We discussed two challenging cases with high calcitonin, multinodular goitre and ACTH-dependent paraneoplastic Cushing syndrome.Case 1: A 45-year-old female patient was admitted into our clinic due to severe fatigue, central obesity, proximal muscle atrophy, round face, buffalo hump, dors...

Introduction: Prolactin is involved in lactation and reproduction. Endocrinologists should be familiar with physiological effects of prolactin in women, particular in key moments: breastfeeding and menopause. We aimed to report two females with unusual prolactin-related challenges: the first case corresponds to a postpartum woman with normoprolactinemia and breastfeeding problems; the second case concerns a menopausal woman with a prolactinoma who developed hot flashes followi...

Background: The recommended first-line screening tests for Cushing’s syndrome (CS) are serum cortisol after 1-mg dexamethasone suppression test (FDST), urinary free cortisol (UFC), and late-night salivary cortisol (LNSC). CS is often diagnosed late: the clinical presentation of endogenous hypercortisolism overlaps with common clinical conditions.Methods: We analyzed the diagnostic test accuracy of FDST, UFC, and LNSC in patient...

Several studies suggest that vitamin D (VitD) has beneficial effects on male reproduction. Analysis of the correlation between VitD and sperm quality parameters demonstrated that it has a significant impact on sperm motility, partially suggesting a relationship between higher serum testosterone levels and VitD levels. In females, vitD deficiency is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and metabolic complications in PCOS. However, there is still no concrete evidence to su...

Background: Acromegaly is a rare condition associated with increased secretion of growth hormone (GH), most frequently from a pituitary adenoma. Gender can influence the secretion of growth hormone and insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Healthy females appear to have higher spontaneous GH levels. In comparison, active acromegaly is associated with lower IGF-1 levels, possibly due to the inhibitory influence of circulating estrogen on the hepatic production of IGF-1.<p class=...

Context: Graves’ ophthalmopathy (GO) is a debilitating condition that affects 30% patients with Graves’ disease (GD). It is the most common extra-thyroidal manifestation of GD, but only 3-5% of GO cases are sight – threatening.Objective: To compare the thyroid and lipid profile of GD patients who developed GO vs those without GO. The second objective is to analyze the prevalence of smoking status and insufficient 25 (OH) vitamin D levels.<...

Background: Pituitary apoplexy is a relatively rare but important clinical syndrome which may be associated with acute headache, visual compromise and hypopituitarism. It can be the initial presentation of a previously unsuspected pituitary macroadenoma. Recognised risk factors include hypertension and the use of antiplatelet agents and/or anticoagulant therapy. It may be life-threatening, requiring emergency endocrine (e.g hydrocortisone) replacement therapy[1] and...

The brain plays a crucial role in maintaining the body’s energy needs, a process involving the activity of a group of hypothalamic neurons that express the neuropeptidergic marker pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC). POMC neuronal dysfunction can cause obesity and its associated metabolic sequelae. However, this population of neurons is highly diverse at a molecular and functional level, and whether or not such heterogeneity is implicated in disease establishment or progression h...

Background: Diabetes is an important risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality but its impact on outcome in acromegaly is unknown.Methods: This was a nationwide, observational, matched-cohort study. Adult patients with acromegaly due to a pituitary adenoma were identified in the Swedish National Patient Registry between 1987 and 2020 and those with coexistent type 2 diabetes in the National Diabetes Registry and Drug Registry. Overall mortal...