Endocrine Abstracts

23-year-old scaffolder, fit and well, presented several times to A&E with episodes of fitting which comprised of an energy surge followed by typical neuroglycopenic and autonomic signs of hypoglycaemia. He was only found to be hypoglycaemic after a severe episode where paramedics were called to his home and discovered his blood sugars to be 1.8 mmol/l with a serum insulin was measurable. His symptoms were moderately relieved by eating a combination of sugary food like hone...

A 50-year-old lady presented with fatigue, tiredness and constipation, has more than twenty years history of hypercalcemia. She was clinically and biochemically diagnosed as familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia with high calcium, normal parathormone, low urinary calcium, low fractional excretion of calcium, positive family history. Genetic confirmation was done by positive molecular genetic analysis of CASR gene. She has persistent high calcium level ranging between 2.8 and 3....

Thyroid gland secretes thyroid hormones, which play a critical role in growth, differentiation, reproduction and metabolism, whereas hypothyroidism in children is associated with short stature and normalisation of thyroid function with thyroxin replacement therapy increases linear growth velocity (LGV). In stimulating LGV, thyroxin may have its direct effects on bone cells or it may affect LGV through its effect on growth hormone (GH) secretion. The present study attempted to ...

In GH deficiency (GHD), which is a medical condition caused by problems in the pituitary gland, the body does not produce sufficient amount of GH, resulting in short stature in children. The treatment of GHD short children with exogenous GH increases linear growth velocity (LGV). The present study determined the effect of exogenous GH treatment on LGV, the dose(s) of exogenous GH that effectively impacts LGV and the stage(s) of puberty at which the effect of exogenous GH treat...

Glucocorticoid (GC) excess is associated with significant brain morphological changes including loss of volume and cerebral atrophy. These effects correlate with the degree and duration of GC elevation1. The neuropsychological abnormalities associated with GC excess, however, remain poorly understood2. Patients with Cushing’s syndrome represent a useful model in which to study the effects of severe and prolonged GC excess.We pr...

Puberty, a crucial biological process, ends up in sexual maturation, reproductive capability and adult body size. It is controlled by hypothalamo–pituitary–gonadal axis (HPG), where hypothalamus synthesizes and secretes gonadotropin releasing hormone, which stimulates the adenohypophysis to produce follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). FSH causes formation of sperms and LH stimulates production of testosterone (T). Puberty needs an intact H...

The acceleration in linear growth at puberty is attributed to the combined physiological effects of both somatotropic and gonadal axes. In synergy, growth hormone (GH) and gonadal steroids (testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2)) stimulate longitudinal bone growth through direct stimulation of chondrocytes and osteoblast. Nutrition such as sufficient amount of nutrients including calcium, phosphate, sodium, potassium and iron and vitamins like vitamin D, vitamin A and vitamin C p...

The short children have lower social competence and show more social problems than children with normal stature. The physical appearance has consequences in terms of how short stature children are judged and treated by others as they can be teased or bullied due to short stature, which may affect future prospects of finding a job or a spouse. These psychosocial stressors are risk factors for the psychological adjustment for children of short stature. Stress responses are activ...

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), caused by lack of 21-hydroxylase, impairs cortisol secretion, which increases ACTH release that results in hyperplasia of adrenal glands and increased secretion of adrenal androgens. Elevated androgen concentration leads to increased skeletal maturation, early pubertal development and diminished pubertal growth. Treatment with glucocorticoids averts early puberty but may abruptly slow down growth. The effect of exogenous glucocorticoids on...

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by deficiency of 21-hydroxylase (CYP21), which inhibits adrenal synthesis of cortisol and aldosterone. The reduced cortisol synthesis leads to increased ACTH secretion, which results in adrenal gland hyperplasia, accumulation of steroid precursors and excessive adrenal androgen production, causing pseudoprecocious puberty. The study aimed at determining variance in two SNPs, I172N and V281L, of CYP2...