Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Craniopharyngiomas are rare tumours with an annual incidence of 0.5–2/100 000. Though benign they still represent a management challenge because of morbidity that includes pituitary hormone deficiency, visual impairment, adipsia and morbid obesity. We retrospectively assessed the outcomes of craniopharyngioma patients in our centre over a 10-year period.Methods: All children (n=16) diagnosed with craniopharyngioma and treated in t...

A 27 year old lady with Graves’ thyrotoxicosis (fT4 50.3 pmol/L, fT3 25.0 pmol/L, TSH<0.05 mU/L) failed to respond adequately to carbimazole (40 mg BD) or propylthiouracil (250 mg QDS). Three months later, following 10 days of potassium iodide to render her biochemically euthyroid, she underwent a total thyroidectomy. Pre-operative bone profile revealed Ca(c) 2.34 mmol/L (NR 2.15–2.60 mmol/L), phosphate 1.36 mmol/L (NR 0.8–1.4 mmol/L), PTH 3.4 pmol/L (NR 1.1...

Background: The DHT RIA is often used in the assessment of children with suspected DSD. Affected cases have a history of consanguinity in ≤50% and many may not have a non-Caucasian background (Maimoun et al., JCEM, 2011). We aimed to assess the clinical utility of the DHT RIA in identifying cases of 5-ARD.Methods: All DHT requests in a 5 year period in a major UK tertiary paediatric centre were identified and case notes were retrieved and se...

Vitamin D insufficiency is common in the Irish population. Patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and co-existing vitamin D insufficiency have higher PTH levels, increased bone turnover and increased risk of postoperative hypocalcaemia. The 3rd International Workshop on PHPT recommended measurement of serum 25-OH Vitamin D in all patients with PHPT, and treatment where required to maintain 25-OH Vitamin D >50 nmol/l. Our study aimed to assess vitamin D status in ...

Over the last 10 years there have been significant advances in stem cell transplantation (SCT) in adults for haematological malignancies leading to improved survival. Conditioning regimes prior to transplantation often utilise high dose chemotherapy and/or total body irradiation (TBI). Significant endocrinopathies have been reported amongst children undergoing SCT. We report the effect of SCT during adult life on endocrine function.Basal hormone levels w...

Introduction: Pituitary conditions are rare and diagnosis may be slow because symptoms are ambiguous. The treatment may be a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and medication so patients see many healthcare professionals (HCPs). This survey sought to assess patient satisfaction with the information and support they receive from GPs, endocrinologists, neurosurgeons, radiotherapists, specialist nurses, and other agencies (e.g. the pituitary foundation).M...

Primary hyperaldosteronism is now recognised as the most frequent underlying cause of hypertension. We recruited 94 patients (age (mean±S.D.) 56±11 years) with hypertension from primary care in order to study the role of corticosteroid hormone action in this cohort. Random, blood pressure (BP), plasma renin activity (PRA) and aldosterone (Aldo) was measured both on and off antihypertensive medication. In addition, a 24 h ambulatory blood pressure (ABP)...

Introduction: The aetiology of Graves’ orbitopathy (GO) is complex and includes genetic and environmental influences. Among potentially controllable risk factors smoking ranks highest. There is strong evidence that smoking cessation benefits patients with GO. The success of secondary prevention strategies depends largely on how the intervention is perceived by patients, especially when it involves lifestyle changes.Objectives: To determine patient p...

Objective: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is an immunoregulative proinflammatory cytokine with pleiotropic functions. It was reported that plasma level of IL-6 in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients was higher than in healthy individuals. IL-6 is supposed to take part in pancreatic beta-cells destruction. So, we considered IL-6 gene to be a candidate one for T1DM. The aim of present study was to investigate the role of IL-6 gene promoter polymorphism in T1DM developme...

Background: Girls with Turner Syndrome (TS) are at increased risk of primary ovarian failure. Previous studies have demonstrated that urinary gonadotrophins (UG) can be used as a non- invasive biochemical marker of pubertal status but their value in monitoring and managing girls with primary ovarian failure is unclear.Aims: To determine the range of UG in girls with Turner Syndrome (TS) and its correlation to serum LH and FSH.Patie...