Endocrine Abstracts

Background: We report a case of a 35-year-old male presenting with pituitary dysfunction secondary to an optochiasmal cavernoma.The gentleman was initially referred with gynaecomastia and biochemical tests consistent with secondary hypogonadism. On further questioning he also reported extremely lethargy, difficulties with weight loss and poor libido. Examination was consistent with features of hypogonadism with reduced body hair, bilateral gynaecomastia ...

Backgound: We report a case of a 63-year-old postmenopausal female diagnosed with ovarian hyperthecosis masked by concurrent use of an aromatase inhibitor.Following diagnosis of breast cancer in 2009, requiring mastectomy with adjunctive chemotherapy, she was commenced on anastrozole. Later she noted gradual onset of frontal balding and hirsutism. Biochemistry revealed elevated serum levels of testosterone 13.2 nmol/l (range: <1.9 nmol/l) and androst...

Hypoparathyroidism is a rare disorder characterised by hypocalcaemia and hyperphosphataemia in the presence of low or inappropriately normal parathyroid hormone levels. Currently there are limited data on the burden of illness and healthcare resource utilisation (HCRU) associated with chronic hypoparathyroidism in Canada. A retrospective cohort analysis with matched controls was conducted to examine HCRU in patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism in Ontario, Canada. Data were...

Liquorice (scientific name Glycyrrhiza glabra) is historically used for gastrointestinal complaints. Now it is primarily used as a flavoring agent in the tobacco, confectionery and to some extent in the pharmaceutical and beverage industries. Excessive intake of liquorice may cause a primary hyperaldosteronism-like syndrome characterized by sodium and water retention, hypertension, hypokalaemia, metabolic alkalosis, low-renin activity, and hypoaldosteronism. We descri...

Hypoparathyridsm and pseudohypoparathyroidsm are the common causes of pathological calcification in the brain though 0.3–1.5% cases are physiological. The clinical presentation of hypoparathyroidsm can vary with the calcium levels and chronicity of hypocalcaemia. We describe a 39-year-old female who had type one diabetes for the last 23 years. She was repeatedly hospitalised with collapse episodes thought to be hypoglycaemic though never proved. She also had primary hypop...

Thyrotoxicosis is a common disorder especially in women. Most of the patients tolerate antithyroid medications very well with very few developing life threatening side effects. We describe a 64 years old gentleman who was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism secondary to Grave’s disease (autoimmune). He was treated with Carbimazole 20 mg daily. With in a month, he presented with malaise and reduced oral intake. Laboratory investigations showed acute cholestatic hepatitis with r...

We are living in the electronic era and day to day exposed by estrogenic disruptors such as Bisphenol-A (BPA). Electronic gadgets such as cellular phones, CDs, DVDs, RFIDs even baby feeding bottles are made with composition of BPA and their huge application are matter of debate in present. The chronic exposures of BPA have become a major health concern. In this study we assessed the neurobehavioral alterations caused by BPA in the rats. We examined the neurobehavioral changes ...

A 37 year old gentleman with no significant past medical history presented with 2 day history of acute onset headache, nausea, vomiting, photophobia and fever. He was pyrexial. He had no focal neurological deficit but marked neck stiffness. His inflammatory markers were raised. CT head showed large pituitary tumour. He was started on Dexamethasone and IV Ceftriaxone and transferred to tertiary centre. MRI brain showed large pituitary macroadenoma projecting into right cavernou...

Background: Point-of-care tests (POCT) for glucose promote timely clinical management. We assessed the precision and accuracy of POCT compared with laboratory measurements in children undergoing dynamic function tests.Methods: Split samples of venous blood were tested on POCT meters (Precision PCx Plus and Precision Xceed Pro) and in the laboratory (ADVIA 2400). Clinical reliability was assessed against the ISO 15197 standard: In at least 95% of cases, d...

A 24-year-old Asian lady with no past medical history was admitted under the surgical team with right sided abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, postural dizziness and weight loss. She was give trimethoprim for a possible urinary tract infection along with paracetamol, tramadol and diclofenac. Blood tests on admission demonstrated normal renal, liver and thyroid function, a normal C-reactive protein and full blood count and a low sodium of 131 mmol/l. An abdominal ultrasound w...