Endocrine Abstracts

Subclinical Cushing’s syndrome (SCS) is a mild autonomous cortisol hypersecretion without specific clinical syndrome of glucocorticoid excess. The aim of this study was to compare cardiac structure and function in patients with adrenal incidentaloma. Twenty patients and 20 sex- and age-matched healthy controls entered the study: among patients, 11 had SCS and the remaining nine had normal cortisol secretion All patients and controls were submitted to Doppler echocardiogra...

The first-line treatment of Cushing’s disease is surgery, although it is effective in inducing a long-term remission in around 50% of patients with Cushing’s disease (CD). Nowadays, no pituitary tumor-directed medical treatment is available with the exception of cabergoline, which has been recently demonstrated to control cortisol secretion without major side effects in around 40% of patients with Cushing’s disease. Cabergoline has been recently demonstrated to ...

Acromegaly is known to be associated to an increased cardiovascular risk, due to the increased prevalence of glucose intolerance and dyslipidemia and pre-atherosclerotic lesions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of treatment with the GH receptor antagonist pegvisomant on cardiovascular risk and atherosclerosis in patients with acromegaly resistant to somatostatin analogues. Twelve patients (4 m, 8 f, 28–58 yrs) and 24 sex-, age- and BMI-matched controls en...

Dopamine agonists have been used as first or adjunctive therapy for acromegaly for many years, but relatively few studies have assessed the efficacy of a newer agonist, cabergoline (CAB) alone or in combination with somatostatin analogues (SSA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of combined treatment with SSA plus CAB in patients with acromegaly and resistance to SSA, defined as lack of normalization of IGF-I levels after long-term (>1 year) and hig...

IntroductionThe oral 11β-hydroxylase inhibitor, osilodrostat, normalized mean urinary free cortisol (mUFC) in 79% (15/19) of patients with Cushing’s disease at the end of the 22-week core LINC 2 study. Long-term efficacy and safety data following an optional extension phase are reported here.MethodsPatients with clinical benefit at week 22 could continue receiving osilodrostat during the extension; ...

Background: Testosterone (T) is essential for bone health during all ages, helping to achieve a proper peak bone mass and, later, to maintain bone density and strength. Guidelines on management of male osteoporosis recommend testosterone replacement in young-adult hypogonadal to prevent bone loss and anti-resorbitive drugs in case of high fracture risk, but the role of T replacement therapy (TRT) alone in subjects with late onset hypogonadism is still the object of an intense ...

Sleep apnea (SA) is a common acromegaly comorbidity, influencing patients’ quality of life and mortality risk. Despite its importance, SA frequently remains undiagnosed, and its real prevalence seems to be underestimated. The current observational study aimed at investigating the role of Berlin questionnaire (BQ) and Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) in assessing the risk of SA in this high-risk population, and to compare the results with an age-and gender-matched health coh...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by menstrual irregularities and clinical and biochemical hyperandrogenism, and is associated with insulin resistance, visceral obesity and metabolic disorders. The aim of the current study was to compare the effects of inositol isomers (INO) and metformin (MET) on the clinical, metabolic and hormonal aspects of PCOS. In 94 PCOS women, clinical (weight, BMI, waist circumference - WC, menstrual intervals, Ferriman-Gallway score -...

Introduction: Cardiac abnormalities are common in patients with acromegaly and contribute to the increased morbidity and mortality of the disease. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is the established, non-invasive gold standard for measuring morpho-functional changes of the heart. We aimed to detect cardiac alterations in patients with acromegaly through CMR and to identify potential risk factors associated with cardiac impairment.Materials and methods: T...

Background: There have been conflicting reports on fertility, reproduction rates and pregnancy outcomes in women with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). Identification of potential modifiable influential factors of pregnancy outcomes in these women has been hampered in the past by either small sample sizes or data derived from epidemiological samples.Methods: Retrospective multi-center study including a total number of 72 women with CAH (n=34...