Endocrine Abstracts

We report the case of a 41-year-old lady who developed severe thyroid eye disease on a background of long standing hypothyroidism. She had been diagnosed with autoimmune hypothyroidism 15 years previously with positive TPO antibodies. She had been successfully maintained on levothyroxine replacement since then. She presented with a four year history of progressive eye swelling, gritty eyes and diplopia. On examination she was found to have active thyroid eye disease with restr...

Background: Surgery has a significant role in the management of benign thyroid disease, necessitating pre-operative evaluation and appreciation of possible complications. These include hypoparathyroidism and hypothyroidism. We compared outcomes of our benign thyroid disease patients requiring surgery to national standards set by the British Thyroid Association.Method: Outcomes for patients operated between December 2010 and December 2012 with benign dise...

We report a 64-year old female with a background of T2DM, renal transplantation requiring ongoing glucocorticoids, and treated toxic multinodular goitre. Following a traumatic T11 fracture and significant osteoporosis risk factors (female, postmenopausal, T2DM, glucocorticoid-use, sarcoidosis, and previous thyrotoxicosis), she was started on bisphosphonate therapy in 2012 with good concordance. Bone densitometry at the time demonstrated lumbar T...

We report a 64-year old female with a background of T2DM, renal transplantation requiring ongoing glucocorticoids, and treated toxic multinodular goitre. Following a traumatic T11 fracture and significant osteoporosis risk factors (female, postmenopausal, T2DM, glucocorticoid-use, sarcoidosis, and previous thyrotoxicosis), she was started on bisphosphonate therapy in 2012 with good concordance. Bone densitometry at the time demonstrated lumbar T...

Case: We report a 79-year-old female who was referred to our Endocrine Bone Unit with osteoporosis, which was initially treated with Alendronate (but poorly tolerated due to dyspepsia) followed by annual Zoledronate infusions. Her bone history was significant for a proximal humeral fragility fracture 30-years previously. She was an ex-smoker, had limited dietary calcium intake, and had a brother with osteoporosis. DEXA demonstrated T scores at lumbar spine -1.8, total hip -2.0...

Case history: We report a 56-year-old man who was referred to the Endocrinology Clinic with hypokalaemic hypertension. He had a history of bladder cancer 9-years previously, treated with surgery, chemotherapy and BCG therapy. At referral, he was taking Amlodipine 10 mg and Doxazosin 8 mg twice daily with average home blood pressure readings of 160/90 mmHg.Investigations: Aldosterone to renin ratio (ARR), taken on Doxazosin with potassium 3.6 mmol/l was 3...

We report a rare case of a patient presenting with headaches and almost complete bilateral hemianopia during her third trimester of pregnancy. This lady presented with headaches and vomiting 2 years prior, with a pituitary MRI initially reporting an acute pituitary haemorrhage. This time, due to progression of her visual field defects, it was decided in a multidisciplinary meeting to perform a Caesarean section at 37 weeks and start Cabergoline post-operatively, as the patient...

Background: It is apparent that COVID-19 may cause persistent symptoms beyond 12 weeks (‘long COVID’). However its underlying pathophysiology is unclear. Several symptoms of long COVID draw similarities to that of endocrine diagnoses. We recently observed that adrenal and thyroid function were normal in survivors of COVID-19 at follow-up. Here we assess additional endocrine axes that could plausibly have a role in long COVID to determine their relationship to ongoing...

Background: Due to practical limitations, the diagnosis of hypogonadism is predominantly based on a single measure of reproductive hormones, often with confirmation on a second occasion. Factors associated with reproductive hormone variation include: pulsatile secretion, diurnal rhythm, and food intake, which can affect the accuracy of diagnosis of reproductive disorders. There is limited data quantitatively estimating the variability of reproductive hormone levels over the da...

Background: Successful reproduction relies on integration of sensory cues of attraction with corresponding emotions and behaviours. However, the intrinsic factors integrating these fundamental aspects of human attraction with limbic and reproductive pathways have not been fully identified. Kisspeptin is a crucial activator of the reproductive axis and together with its receptor is widely expressed throughout the limbic and olfactory systems in humans suggesting a potential rol...