Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, is a stressful period that exposes to endocrine disturbances, which may decompensate some endocrinopathies or precipitate their revelation.

Objectives: To evaluate the incidence of endocrine emergencies during the month of Ramadan, and thus the risk of endocrine decompensation related to fasting.

Materials and methods: This is a prospective study conducted in the department of endocrinology and diabetology, including 47 patients who consulted for endocrine emergencies during Ramadan, in the period from April 13 to May 12, 2021. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 25 software.

Results: The average age of our patients was 39 years (18–70 years), with a sex ratio of 3:1. Young people represented 78.7%. Before the month of fasting, 68% of the patients were known to have endocrinopathy (hyperthyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, adrenal insufficiency), 43% of whom admitted poor compliance with their treatment during Ramadan. Hyperthyroidism predominated in 48.9%, with 25.5% of acute adrenal insufficiency, 21.2% of acute hypocalcemia, and 4.2% of acute hypercalcemia. In 63.9% of the patients, no decompensation factor other than fasting was identified. Other causes were mainly pancreatitis (34%), underlying heart disease (16%), urinary tract infections (11%), and other causes (cholecystitis, tuboovarian abscess, pneumocystis, Guillain-Barré syndrome).

Conclusion: Ramadan fasting is a sacred ritual for Muslims, but it is not without risks since it exposes to hormonal disturbances that can reveal or decompensate certain endocrinopathies. Hence the need for a pre-Ramadan consultation to adapt the treatment and to discuss the possibility of fasting, with close follow-up during the holy month, to avoid the risk of complications.