Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Acromegaly is an endocrinopathy that affects many different organ systems and leads to multiple comorbidities. Data on morphologic pathology of kidneys in acromegaly is scarce.Methods: We investigated 19 acromegalic patients (11 male, mean age 57.8±12.1 years) presenting in our outpatient clinic. We evaluated each patient’s kidneys by ultrasound, measuring organ dimensions and volume as well as noting any pathologic findings.<...

Introduction: Acromegaly is a slowly progressing systemic disease that leads to numerous changes in metabolism and organ function. A large cross-sectional study showed signs of subclinical airway obstruction in female patients. We performed a longitudinal study of lung function testing to compare parameters of airway obstruction in male and female patients with acromegaly over time.Methods: 40 patients with acromegaly (24 male, 16 female) underwent repea...

Introduction: There is a long delay between the onset of symptoms and correct diagnosis of acromegaly. This study aimed to explore the potential of hand size as a screening tool of acromegaly. Here we present first results of a new screening project.Method: We measured scan-copies of acromegalics (n=27, 9 women, age 18–84 years) and controls (n=111, 71 women, age 19–81 years) and analyzed surface areas of palm and thenar and m...

Introduction: SUB:Pituitary – Clinical (Generously supported by IPSEN)It is still unclear whether obesity in craniopharyngioma (CP) is caused by disorders in food regulation or by changes in mood or activity due to depression or sleepiness leading to a decrease in energy consumption. We compared CP to patients with non-functioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA) by using standardized questionnaires to clarify this question.Methods: We compared 31 ...

Introduction: Patients with craniopharyngeoma often have disturbances of the hypothalamic–pituitary axis and serious comorbidities as obesity. We hypothesized, that the pattern of hormones regulating the nutritional status is worsened in adult patients with craniopharyngioma (CP) compared to adult patients with non-functioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA).Methods: We included 33 patients with CP (m=16, f=17, median age: 48 years (26–7...

Objectives: Our aim was to assess health-related quality of life in patients with Cushing’s disease (CD) and patients with non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPA).Methods: We assessed patients with CD and with NFPA treated at our outpatient units. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was assessed with the SF-36, a widely used generic measure of health status and the CushingQoL, a newly developed disease generated questionnaire to evaluate HRQoL ...

Objectives: It is known that patients with pituitary adenomas, especially acromegaly, frequently suffer from pain syndromes such as headache and arthralgia. Whether pain exists and to what extent in Cushing’s disease (CD), reflecting chronic cortisol excess, is not clear. We hypothesized that pain patterns should be also altered and investigated pain laterisation, clinical characteristics, phenotypes as well as underlying predictors.Methods: In a cr...

Acromegalic patients under treatment with Octreotide LAR (Oct), 10, 20 or 30 mg were switched to Lanreotide Autogel 120 mg (Lan) at different dose intervals: 56, 42 and 28 days respectively. Just before the fourth Lan injection, IGF-I values were measured and the dose interval for the final three injections adjusted accordingly: if IGF-I values were between 1 and 2 standard deviations (S.D.) above the age and sex related mean value, no change in dose-interval wa...

In chronic diseases patient (pat) often need continuous med treatment. In acromegaly and neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NET), long term monthly injections of somatostatin analogues as Sandostatin® LAR® (SA®) are the treatment of choice. Problems regarding pat management and drug application might arise in not-specialized centers such as general practicioners (GP). To optimize pat’ management and compliance a homecare project* wa...

Objectives: Acromegaly is associated with elevated cardiovascular morbidity. Medical treatment of acromegaly does not only lead to a normalisation of the somatotroph axis, but can also negatively influence cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities.Methods: In a cross-sectional study, we evaluated cardiovascular risk markers (glucose, HbA1c, triglycerides, cholesterol, HDL, LDL, lipoprotein a, homocystein, CRP) in relation to biochemical control and m...