Endocrine Abstracts

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) allows continuous real-time blood glucose monitoring and informs users of blood glucose trend data and alarms which warn users of high or low blood glucose readings. Current evidence suggests that CGM can reduce episodes of hypoglycaemia in conditions such as congenital hyperinsulinism and metabolic disorders. Hypoglycaemia secondary to these conditions is serious with almost 50% of children demonstrating neurological impairments as a result...

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) prevalence in patients with severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus (SARS-CoV-2) infection differs among studies, although pre-existing DM seems to double the risk of critical infection and mortality.Objectives: To evaluate incidence and mortality risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a large diabetic population in Northern Italy in pre-vaccine era.Methods: Retrospective, observational, big data stud...

Background: Population data has shown an increased incidence in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) following pandemic influenza A (H1N1). Worldwide studies have shown an increase in the incidence of T1DM in 2020 and 2021. Both locally and regionally in Northern Ireland we noticed a similar increase and decided to investigate further.Method: From March 2021 we tested newly diagnosed T1DM patients in Antrim Area Hospital for Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. If ant...

In Northern Ireland the annual marching season starts around April/May and can last until the end of September. This is a time when those children and young people with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus who are involved in parades, need advice from the diabetes team regarding the variations in their activity levels. This can be a very delicate subject within the cultural setting, revealing their allegiance for one side of the community or the other and can be very sensitive. As a resul...

Background: HLA-DRB1*04 is one of the MHC alleles which is associated with several autoimmune endocrinopathies, including autoimmune Addison’s disease (AAD). The two versions of the gene which encodes the main target of the autoimmune attack in AAD, steroid 21-hydroxylase, are encoded in a gene cluster, called RCCX module, which is a copy number variation located in the MHC class III locus. Previous data from our group showed that AAD patients are more likely to have no c...

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was discovered by Robert Robison, PhD in London in 1923. In New York in 1932, he added to his hypothesis that ALP functioned in skeletal calcification by liberating inorganic phosphate (Pi) for hydroxyapatite crystal formation, perhaps from a hexosephosphoric ester, some unknown factor also conditioning this process. In 1948 in Toronto, Canada, ‘hypophosphatasia’ (HPP) was coined by John C. Rathbun, MD to describe a unique rickets without r...

Background: Pregnancy is a state where changes in maternal physiology influence thyroid status. In addition, thyroid disease in mother can have substantial adverse outcome on the pregnancy and fetus. The objective of this study was to establish correlation of maternal TSH with PAPP-A, Beta HCG, Inhibin, uE3, AFP and HCG and compare pregnancy outcomes in subclinical hypothyroid pregnant women with euthyroid women.Methodology: 110 out of 150 singleton preg...

Case history: A 54 year old Polish gentleman was admitted to a large northern teaching hospital, with life threatening hypercalcaemia, requiring renal replacement therapy. He presented with extreme fatigue and lethargy, with a significant reduction in mobility and exercise tolerance. Further initial history was hampered by language barrier and an increasingly moribund patient.Investigations: Base line blood work up revealed stage 3 AKI, with a liver bone...

Objectives: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is the macrovascular complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus, and type 2 diabetic patients with PAD may have higher incidence of foot amputation and coronary heart disease. We conducted a clinical-based cohort study in northern Taiwan in order to assess PAD in diabetes and its associated risk factors.Methods: This study enrolled type 2 DM patients not older than 65 years old who were seen in diabetes clinic...

Evidence on whether neonatal thyroid screening results are dependent on maternal thyroid function is limited.Objectives: To study the relationship between iodine status and maternal thyroid function in pregnancy, and neonatal screening results in a Northern Spanish population.Methods: Prospective, longitudinal study of 297 pregnant women recruited in 2 obstetric centers of Pamplona (Spain) at the first antenatal visit, and their ne...