Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Thyroid hormones may affect bone calcium metabolism either by a direct action on osteoclasts or by acting on osteoblasts which mediate osteoclastic bone resorption. Hyperthyroidism induces an accelerated bone loss, causing hypercalcemia and may thereby increase the risk of low energy fractures. Increased IL-6 levels and hyperadrenergic state due to thyrotoxicosis, are also implicated in hypercalcemia.Case: A 33 year old who is a known case of...

Hyponatraemia is the commonest electrolyte disturbance among inpatients. Prompt diagnosis and management of the underlying cause is important. A 49-year-old Caucasian male presented to the emergency department with a two-day history of fever, altered mental status, vomiting, diarrhoea and postural dizziness. A rapid point of care RT-PCR test resulted positive for the SARS-CoV-2. A provisional diagnosis was presented of COVID-19 encephalopathy. The patient was usually fit and w...

Introduction: Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory disease of the pancreas that can lead to necrosis of the pancreas and if infected could lead to multi-organ failure. Common cause of acute pancreatitis are gallstones and excess alcohol consumption. Hypertriglyceridemia is becoming an increasing cause of acute pancreatitis and is diagnosed with serum triglyceride levels >1.7 mmol/l. It is associated with high morbidity and mortality.Case presentatio...

Introduction: Pituitary adenomas are benign tumours of the pituitary gland with an estimated prevalence rate of approximately 17%. Around 1 in 600 people have macroadenoma (>1cm) that can present with variety of visual problems classically as bitemporal hemianopia due to compression of the optic chiasm.Case presentation: 50-year-old male was admitted with 3months history of worsening headache and 4months of visual disturbances. Initially he was seen ...

A 91-year-old lady presented with bradycardia ‘HR ~36, she was alert and conscious initially. Soon after the initial assessment, she was found unresponsive; with blood glucose of 0.8 mmol/l; bradyapnoec; BP 151/59; GCS 5/15; temp ‘32.8°C’. She was aroused after resuscitation with intravenous Dextrose, GCS 15/15 with an element of confusion, the temperature did not exceed 34.9°C despite active warming. The patient looked in a low mood, barely audible, w...

Introduction: Hypercalcaemia is a commonly encountered biochemical abnormality. The most common causes of hypercalcaemia are primary hyperparathyroidism and malignancy. Familial Hypocalciuric Hypercalcaemia (FHH) is a rare cause of hypercalcaemia.Case: We present a 53-year-old female, who was referred to the endocrinology clinic for further investigation of a persistent hypercalcaemia associated with low-to-normal parathyroid hormone level (1.5pmol/l). S...

Introduction: Hypoglycaemia is an endocrine and medical emergency. It is usually due to the excessive dose of insulin or oral anti-diabetic agents. Although rare, hypoglycaemia can be a tumour–induced. Some of the other causes include renal and liver failure, hormonal deficiency, antibodies to insulin, infection, starvation, spontaneous hypoglycaemia and reactive hypoglycaemia.Case report: A 70-year-old man presented with 6 months’ history of r...

Background: Cranial diabetes inspidus (DI) may be familial or acquired. Traumatic brain injury is an important cause of acquired cranial DI, occurring in up to 22% of patients with moderate or severe head injuries1.Case 1: A 20-year-old male was admitted following a road traffic accident (RTA) with polytrauma including several skull fractures, subdural haematoma, and pneumocephalus. The following day, he developed polyuria and polydipsia. Bioc...

Introduction: Diabetes is a chronic condition which has become a major public health concern approaching epidemic proportions globally. Effective diabetes management often presents many challenges. Clinicians and patients often become overwhelmed by the need to address co-morbid chronic conditions in addition to patients’ diabetes-specific treatment goals. It is widely accepted that bariatric surgery can help improve health in a range of metabolic diseases, including T2D...

Background: Immobilisation hypercalcaemia is serious complication of prolonged immobility of any cause such as spinal cord injury, polio victims, burns victims, as well as trauma patients.Case: Eighteen-years old student was admitted to the hospital following road traffic accident. He sustained multiple fractures, skull, spine, chest and pelvis. He also sustained abdomen and pelvic haematoma. At scene of crash he had GCS 5/15, needing intubation and was ...