Endocrine Abstracts

Hyperprolactinaemia is the most common endocrine disorder of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis and represents a significant referral volume to secondary care. It is therefore necessary to employ a timely, structured management pathway.This retrospective cohort study at University Hospitals Birmingham, included 450 patients with serum hyperprolactinaemia, measured between 2011 and 2012. Patients with a known hyperprolactinaemia were excluded. 71 patients re...

Severe hypomagnesaemia associated with the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) is now increasingly recognised. The exact underlying mechanism is unclear but is likely to involve altered intestinal absorption of magnesium ions. Hypomagnesaemia from any cause results in functional hypoparathyroidism. PTH levels vary widely in reported cases of hypomagnesaemia associated with the use of PPIs. We examined PTH levels in patients admitted to hospital with severe (Mg<0.4 mmol/l)...

Background: It is well established that patients with acromegaly have compromised quality of life both during active disease, as well as whilst on remission. (1). In the recent years, there has been increasing emphasis on the importance of considering health-related quality of life (QoL) outcomes in the care of patients with acromegaly. The University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust introduced and implemented the use of a holistic needs assessm...

Background: It is well established that patients with acromegaly have compromised quality of life both during active disease, as well as whilst on remission. (1). In the recent years, there has been increasing emphasis on the importance of considering health-related quality of life (QoL) outcomes in the care of patients with acromegaly. The University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust introduced and implemented the use of a holistic needs assessm...

Introduction: TSH-secreting pituitary adenomas (TSHomas) are rare pituitary tumours treated primarily with surgery; in cases of surgical failure, somatostatin analogue (SSA) or radiotherapy are further options. SSAs are rarely used as monotherapy; if responsive and in the absence of radiotherapy, the requirement of life-long medical treatment, is unknown. Herein, we present a patient with a TSHoma who remains in remission three years after SSA withdrawal.<p class="abstext"...

A 22-year-old Caucasian female was referred to thyroid specialist clinic due to difficulties fully suppressing her thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) despite high dose combination therapy of triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) treatment. She had a well-differentiated thyroid -carcinoma of left thyroid lobe treated with left lobectomy. Several other small primary thyroid carcinoma lesions were detected on further examination of the histology which lead to completion thyroid...

Introduction: Gynaecomastia, a benign enlargement of glandular breast tissue in males, may be associated with anxiety, depression and reduced self-esteem.Aims: To assess current practice in management and treatment outcomes in the management of gynaecomastia with a view to improving quality of service and rationalising investigations and referral pathway.Methods: A health informatics search identified 42 patients with documented gy...

Pituicytomas are rare tumours, originating from modified glial cells called pituicytes. The lineage of these tumours remains a topic of debate. Approximately 65 cases have been reported in the literature to date, since being formally recognised in 2007. We report a case where the final diagnosis was made after second surgery for late recurrence.Case: A 54-year-old man presented with left sided visual disturbances in 1998 and underwent transcranial resect...

Hypertension is the most commonly recognised cardiac manifestation of a phaeochromocytoma. There are however a variety of other cardiac presentations including arrhythmias and the increasingly reported Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. We present the case of a female patient presenting acutely to the general medical take who was found to have cardiac arrhythmias and transient left ventricular dysfunction.The initial presentation was breathlessness, chest pain, s...

Background: Acromegaly treatment options include transsphenoidal surgery (TSS), medical management with somatostatin analogues (SSAs), growth hormone (GH) receptor antagonists and dopamine agonists, radiotherapy or a combination of these, depending on symptom nature and severity, tumour size, age and health status. In 2014 the Endocrine Society published guidelines for management of acromegaly.Methods: To describe current UK practice following guideline ...