Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Autoimmune thyroid disease is a multifactorial disorder, which has been linked to the exposure of certain environmental factors.Aims and Objectives: To investigate whether thyroid autoimmunity (TAI) is significantly associated with identifiable and potentially modifiable environmental factors in Maltese individuals.Materials and Methods: A case-control observational study was conducted among 324 Maltese ...

Introduction: Autoimmune thyroid disease is a multifactorial disorder, which has been linked to the exposure of certain environmental factors.Aims and Objectives: To investigate whether thyroid autoimmunity (TAI) is significantly associated with identifiable and potentially modifiable environmental factors in Maltese individuals.Materials and Methods: A case-control observational study was conducted among 324 Maltese ...

Background: Gestational diabetes (GDM) can be driven by mutations or rare variants in various genes associated with monogenic or atypical forms of diabetes. The reported frequency of monogenic defects of beta cell function in GDM varies extensively, in part due to differences in ethnicity, patient ascertainment criteria and techniques used for genetic analysis. The objective was to evaluate the frequency and molecular spectrum of mutations in a curated list of genes associated...

Aim: To ascertain epidemiology and outcomes in Maltese patients with acromegaly.Method: Retrospective case record study of acromegalic patients diagnosed between 1979 and 2008.Results: Forty-seven patients were recruited (25 females and 22 males). The prevalence of acromegaly in the Maltese population was 11.4 per 100 000 population. Of 77% had a macroadenoma (53% extrasellar, 24% intrasellar). Of 15% had a microadenoma. Two tumour...

It is known that a subset of obese individuals do not exhibit features of the metabolic syndrome (Met-S); these are referred to as being metabolically healthy obese (MHO) individuals. Conversely there are other individuals who although have a normal BMI are insulin resistant and exhibit some of the features of the Met-S and are termed as being metabolically unhealthy normal weight (MUHNW) individuals. This study aims to identify the prevalence of metabolic health among a diffe...

Graves’ disease is one of the reversible causes of pulmonary hypertension (PAH). The association was first reported in 1980. Studies have suggested an elevated pulmonary artery systolic pressure in about 36% of patients with Graves’ disease by Doppler echocardiography. We report a case of Graves disease associated with pulmonary hypertension in a young female.Case report: A 41 year old female presented with history of worsening breathless and p...

Case history: A 26-year-old lady presented with a two-week history of weakness associated with pins and needles affecting the lateral calf and dorsomedial aspect of her left foot. The patient denied any trauma or symptoms including weight loss. She had no drug allergies and was taking no regular medications. She had a vegan diet supplemented with multivitamins. Her past medical and family history was unremarkable. On examination, she had a narrow-based high-steppage-gait. Lowe...

Case History: Hyperandrogenism is a relatively common clinical problem. However, severe hyperandrogenism causing virilisation is rare. A 22-year-old lady with no significant past medical history, presented with oligomenorrhoea, hirsutism and male pattern hair loss over last 3 years duration. She has no acne or change in voice or clitoromegaly. She was also noted to be having high BP on clinic visit and grade 1 acanthosis nigricans.Investigations: Her tot...

Case History: An 81-year-old gentleman was brought to A&E by ambulance after being found to be hypoglycaemic at home by paramedics. His wife reported that he experienced unsteadiness and slurred speech after waking up in the morning and she called the emergency number. On arrival of paramedics, his capillary blood glucose was found to be 1.2 mmol/l and he was administered intravenous dextrose. He also had a couple of similar episodes which were resolved with food. He is no...

The co-existence of thyrotropin (TSH) and growth hormone (GH) secreting pituitary adenoma is exceedingly rare. Less than 15 cases having been reported.Case report: A 75 years’ old man presented with new-onset atrial fibrillation. He had high FT4 with normal TSH. His ultrasound scan of the neck showed a solitary nodule. He had ablation twice and was started on bisoprolol and anticoagulant. He had an MRI scan for headaches and this showed a pituitary ...