Endocrine Abstracts

10% of patients with adrenal tumours have bilateral lesion.Objective: To evaluate clinical, imagistic and hormonal characteristics of bilateral adrenal tumours.Design and mehods: Retrospective series of 150 consecutive patients (104F, 46M) with bilateral adrenal tumours with maximal diameter of at least 1 cm, evaluated from 2001 to 2015 in a tertiary endocrinology clinic with clinical, hormonal and imagistic methods.<p class="a...

Introduction: Patients with Cushing’s Syndrome (CS) frequently have sleep complaints. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalance sleep disturbances and sleep structure of patients with CS.Materials and methods: 33 patients with CS were evaluated both clinically and with polysomnograhy (PSG) findings in terms of sleep disorders and data were compared with 20 healthy controls.Results: Seventeen (51.1%) patients with CS ...

Introduction: Adrenal incidentalomas (AI) with or without concomitant autonomous cortisol secretion can be associated with several metabolic alterations that may lead to increased cardiovascular risk. However, data regarding insulin resistance (IR) during long term follow-up of AI are scarce. The aim was to prospectively investigate the presence and evolution of IR in patients with AI between 2003 and 2014.Methods: Seventy three patients with AI for at l...

Background: 1-mg overnight dexamethasone-suppression test (DST) is commonly used to screen for hypercortisolism. Sensitivity is high (95%), but specificity is low (80%), leading to false positive results. Identifying individuals with abnormal dexamethasone absorption or metabolism could enhance diagnostic accuracy.Aim: Use serum dexamethasone (s-DXT) to increase diagnostic accuracy of DST.Methods: Prospective study of DST for clini...

ACTH independent macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (AIMAH) is a rare cause of Cushing’s syndrome. Both Phosphodiesterase 11A4 (PDE11A4) mutations and inactivating mutations of armadillo repeat containing 5(ARMC5) have been associated with familial AIMAH. A family with autosomal dominant AIMAH was studied trying to elucidate the involved genetic basis.Methods and results: Adrenal hypercortisolism with giant bilateral AH was diagnosed in three adult me...

Introduction: The steroidogenesis inhibitors ketoconazole and metyrapone are frequently used for treatment of Cushing’s syndrome, but can cause side effects. LCI699 is a known 11β-hydroxylase inhibitor, but effects on other steroidogenic enzymes are unknown. We aimed to compare effects of LCI699, ketoconazole, and metyrapone in vitro.Methods: HAC-15 cells, with or without 10 nM ACTH, and three primary human adrenocortical adenoma cultu...

Introduction: The aim of our study was to assess the morning and evening cortisol plasma levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).Material and method: 95 patients gave their informed consent to participate in the study and were divided into two groups. Group A consisted of 40 PCOS patients and group B consisted of 55 women without features of PCOS. Between day 5 and 8 of the menstrual cycle, morning (0700 h), fasting blood samples were taken...

Introduction: Patients with adrenal incidentalomas and sub-clinical Cushing’s (SCH) have increased cardiovascular events and mortality. We hypothesised that these patients have a disturbed cortisol rhythm amenable to being restored to normal by using timed short-acting cortisol synthesis blockade, and that this may have a positive effect on IL6 levels.Methods: In a phase 1, prospective study (Eudract No. 2012-002586-35) we recruited eight patients w...

Background: Cushing’s syndrome (CS) is a chronic disorder characterized by endogenous cortisol excess resulting in long-term metabolic and cardiovascular consequences. The identification of metabolic alterations related to hypercortisolism could be beneficial in tailoring treatments of co-morbidities. Our aim was to characterize the metabolic alterations of patients with hypercortisolism by targeted plasma metabolomic profiling.Methods: Subjects (<e...

Context: Hair cortisol has been recently studied to determine evidence of hypercortisolemia in humans. This test may be valuable in estimating cortisol levels, particularly in patients with cyclical Cushing’s syndrome (CS).Objective: To determine correlations with biochemical evidence of CS, and to compare hair cortisol measurements in patients with CS to normative data.Methods: Hair samples from 49 study subjects were collect...