Endocrine Abstracts

Background and aims: Diabetic foot osteomyelitis (DFO) is a well-recognised complication and a risk factor for lower limb loss. Its effective treatment can reduce the risk of minor and major amputations. Our aim was to compare the yield in cultures from the proximal and distal segments of bone excised intraoperatively as part of the management of DFO and the impact on antibiotic choice and duration.Materials and methods: Patients attending the diabetic f...

Background: In December 2017, a Nurse-Led AI clinic was introduced at University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff for the evaluation and follow-up of these patients. The clinic pathway was based upon the 2016 European Society for Endocrinology (ESE) guidelines on the management of adrenal incidentalomas.Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of this new service and the cost-saving benefit.Methods: Electronic and paper-based patient records w...

A 29 year old woman, 21 weeks pregnant with no previous medical history was admitted with 5 days blurred vision in the left eye and headaches, worse in the morning and lying flat. Three weeks previously she had been treated with antibiotics for a group A strep infection. An urgent MRI suggested pituitary apoplexy with left optic chiasm nerve compression. IV hydrocortisone 100 mg TDS was commenced reduced to 20 mg TDS. Investigations showed TSH 0.2 mu/l, FT4 10.4 pmol/l, FT3 2....

Introduction/Aim: In Addison’s disease, patient-self maintenance of adequate cortisol levels is essential. Optimising cortisol control is challenging and well documented. Traditional management aims to ensure adequate daily cortisol levels, management of stressful situations/acute illness, avoiding over replacement. Alert dogs are currently used to support patients with hypoglycaemia unawareness. Recent reported international studies of alert dogs in primary and secondary...

The number of childhood cancer survivors is ever increasing and as this population continues to grow, the long term physical and psychological impact of having cancer treatment in childhood becomes ever more apparent. Childhood cancer survivors are moving into adulthood with significant health needs secondary to their cancer treatment. Acknowledging and addressing these needs is crucial in supporting them on their continued health journey. Patients attending the ‘late eff...

We adapted holistic needs assessment tool used in oncology setting to create a simple tool to assess the learning need of people with adrenal insufficiency. This simple tool consists of 17 items and it allows endocrine nurse educators to obtain a quick assessment on the self-care management knowledge and skill of people with adrenal insufficiency before embarking on adrenal education.The tool 17 items are:Understanding of adrenal i...

Background: Cushing’s disease is the most common cause of endogenous Cushing’s syndrome in adults, affecting females>males (ratio 3:1). In suspected cases, careful clinical assessment is required to ascertain a pre-test probability. This is followed by robust biochemical testing, which guides further management.One-week test protocol: Congruent biochemical tests are conducted over a one-week period in an outpatient setting. Patients attend on d...

Introduction: Acromegaly is caused by excessive growth hormone production and elevated IGF-1 levels. Annual incidence rates are reported to be between 0.2 and 1.1 cases/100 000 people, with a prevalence of 2.8–13.7 cases/100 000 people. Small numbers make it difficult to differentiate any differences between sex. A recent increase in the number of females diagnosed with acromegaly at our centre, voiced a need for peer and psychological support. It is known that acromegaly...