Endocrine Abstracts

Acromegaly is a rare disorder characterized by the overproduction of growth hormone (GH) and elevated insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1). While some studies have investigated the potential associations between biochemical control (i.e., normalization of IGF-1 and/or GH) and comorbidities/symptoms, few studies have long-term follow-up. This study assessed the association between biochemical control and selected comorbidities/symptoms in patients with acromegaly using real worl...

Long-term biochemical control (i.e., normalization of growth hormone [GH] and insulin-like growth factor-1 [IGF1]) is the goal of treatment of acromegaly. Few studies have characterized the sustainability of GH/IGF1 levels in acromegaly patients. This study aimed to identify long-term time trends of GH, IGF1 levels, and biochemical control in patients with acromegaly using longitudinal real world data. Medical records of adult patients with a confirmed acromegaly diagnosis, &#...

During 2020 spring, national lockdown was adopted in Italy to prevent COVID-19 pandemic spread. Restrictive measures, including lockdowns, were associated with impaired psychological outcome, mainly increased perceived stress and anxiety, in general population. As transgender people (T*) are associated with higher prevalence of perceived stress, anxiety, and depression, higher psychological vulnerability during lockdowns cannot be excluded. The aim of the PICARD study was the ...

Over the last two years, COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown have exerted a remarkable psychological burden in the general population. Such an impact is supposed to be even worse in acromegaly, known to induce a severe psychological impairment due to its somatic disfigurements and systemic comorbidities. The current observational study aimed at investigating the impact of COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown on psychological health in acromegalic patients as compared to non-acromegalic h...

Background: Steroid synthesis inhibitors, like metyrapone, osilodrostat, and ketoconazole are used as second-line treatment in all types of endogenous Cushing’s syndrome (CS). However, a direct comparison of these three drugs is missing. This study aimed to compare these drugs in the short-term therapy of CS.Design: Retrospective multicenter study involving 15 European centers.Methods: Patients with CS treated with metyrapone,...

Objective: The management of male idiopathic infertility is challenging. The Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) note 74 regulates the empirical administration of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), although its application in clinical practice remain conflicting. The aim was to explore the management of male idiopathic infertility and to assess the actual use of FSH.Methods: A multicenter longitudinal prospective observational study (open-registry), involvi...

Background and objective: Mitotane is widely used as post-operative adjuvant treatment of adrenocortical carcinoma. However, the management of therapy is largely empirical. Mitotane monitoring is recommended but we do not know what impact target concentrations do have on patient outcome. The aim of the study is to evaluate its use in expert Italian centers, analyzing data of Lysosafe Online® database.Methods: Retrospective analysis of patients repor...

Introduction: Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is the most frequent chromosomal disorders, occurring in 1:500 to 1:1000 live male births, associated to male infertility. Although significant research has been conducted, KS remains frustratingly underdiagnosed with a remarkable portion of cases being unidentified. Under diagnosis may be due to man’s hesitancy about seeking medical counseling, low awareness of KS among health professionals, and failure by health professionals to p...

Adrenocortical cancer (ACC) is a rare cancer with poor prognosis and scant treatment options.Purpose: To look for new therapeutic approaches issued from the screening for common genetic variants in a large series of advanced ACC.Experimental design: Whole exome sequencing have been performed in 10 advanced (stage III and IV) ACC samples to identify the recurrent variants. The presence and the frequency of most interesting variants ...

Osteopathy is an emerging complication of acromegaly, characterized by increased bone turnover, profound abnormalities in trabecular bone structure and high risk of vertebral fractures (VFs). The therapeutic management of skeletal fragility in acromegaly is a challenge, since the risk of fractures may remain high after the control of acromegaly and the effectiveness of bone-active drugs in this clinical setting is unknown. In this retrospective-multicenter study, we aimed at e...