Calcitonin levels in autoimmune atrophic gastritis-related hypergastrinemia.

PURPOSE: Calcitonin (Ct) is currently the most sensitive biochemical marker of C-cell disease (medullary thyroid cancer [MTC] and C-cell hyperplasia), but its specificity is relatively low. Our aim was to examine whether autoimmune atrophic gastritis (AAG) and chronic hypergastrinemia, with or without chronic autoimmune thyroiditis (AT), are conditions associated with increased Ct levels. METHODS: Three groups of patients were consecutively enrolled in this  multicentric study: group A consisted of patients with histologically-proven AAG (n = 13; 2 males, 11 females); group B fulfilled the criteria for group A but also had AT (n = 92; 15 males, 77 females); and group C included patients with AT and without AAG (n = 37; 6 males, 31 females). RESULTS: Median Ct levels did not differ between the three groups. Ct levels were undetectable in: 8/13 cases (61.5%) in group A, 70/92 (76.1%) in group B, and 27/37 (73.0%) in group C. They were detectable but ≤ 10 ng/L in 4/13 (30.8%), 20/92 (21.7%) and 7/37 (18.9%) cases, respectively; and they were > 10 ng/L in 1/13 (7.7%), 2/92 (2.2%) and 3/37 (8.1%) cases, respectively (P = 0.5). Only three patients had high Ct levels (> 10 ng/L) and high gastrin levels and had an MTC. There was no correlation between Ct and gastrin levels (P = 0.353, r = 0.0785). CONCLUSIONS: High gastrin levels in patients with AAG do not explain any hypercalcitoninemia, regardless of whether patients have AT or not. This makes it mandatory to complete the diagnostic process to rule out MTC in patients with high Ct levels and AAG.

Corticotropin-releasing hormone test predicts the outcome of unilateral adrenalectomy in primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia.

PURPOSE: Primary bilateral adrenal hyperplasia (PBMAH) is associated with hypercortisolism and a heterogeneous clinical expression in terms of cortisol secretion and related comorbidities. Historically, treatment of choice was bilateral adrenalectomy (B-Adx); however, recent data suggest that unilateral adrenalectomy (U-Adx) may be an effective alternative. For the latter, factors predicting the postsurgical outcome (e.g., biochemical control) have not been identified yet. METHODS: PBMAH patients undergoing U-Adx for overt Cushing's syndrome (CS) in two tertiary care centers were retrospectively analysed. Remission was defined as a normalization of urinary free cortisol (UFC) without the need for medical treatment. The potential of hCRH test as a predictor of U-Adx outcome was evaluated in a subgroup. RESULTS: 23 patients were evaluated (69% females, mean age 55 years). Remission rate after U-Adx was 74% at last follow up (median 115 months from UAdx). Before U-Adx, a positive ACTH response to hCRH (Δ%ACTH increase > 50% from baseline) was associated with higher remission rates. CONCLUSIONS: Three of four patients with PBMAH are surgically cured with U-Adx. Pre-operative hCRH testing can be useful to predict long-term remission rates.

Paradoxical GH increase after oral glucose load in subjects with and without acromegaly.

OBJECTIVE: A paradoxical GH rise after the glucose load (GH-Par) is described in about one-third of acromegalic patients. Here, we evaluated the GH profile in subjects with and without acromegaly aiming to refine the definition of GH-Par. DESIGN: Observational case-control study. METHODS: Our cohort consisted of 60 acromegalic patients, and two groups of subjects presenting suppressed GH (< 0.4 µg/L) and high (non-acro↑IGF-1, n = 116) or normal IGF-1 levels (non-acro, n = 55). The distribution of GH peaks ≥ 120% from baseline, insulin, and glucose levels were evaluated over a 180-min time interval after glucose intake. RESULTS: A similar proportion of subjects in all three groups shows a GH ratio of ≥ 120% starting from 120 min. Re-considering the definition of paradoxical increase of GH within 90 min, we observed that the prevalence of GH peaks ≥ 120% was higher in acromegaly than in non-acro↑IGF-1 and non-acro (respectively 42%, 16%, and 7%, both p < 0.001). In patients without GH-Par, a late GH rebound was observed in the second part of the curve. Higher glucose peak (p = 0.038), slower decline after load, 20% higher glucose exposure (p = 0.015), and a higher prevalence of diabetes (p = 0.003) characterized acromegalic patients with GH-Par (with respect to those without). CONCLUSIONS: GH-Par response may be defined as a 20% increase in the first 90 min after glucose challenge. GH-Par, common in acromegaly and associated with an increased prevalence of glucose metabolism abnormalities, is found also in a subset of non-acromegalic subjects with high IGF-1 levels, suggesting its possible involvement in the early phase of the disease.

Unmet needs on the current medical management of Cushing's syndrome: results from a Delphi panel of Italian endocrinologists.

BACKGROUND: Cushing's syndrome (CS) is a rare clinical condition caused by excessive cortisol secretion from adrenal glands. CS is associated with increased mortality and morbidity; therefore, a prompt diagnosis and an effective therapeutic approach are strongly necessary to improve the patient's clinical management. The first-line treatment for CS is surgery, while medical treatment has historically played a minor role. However, thanks to the availability of novel compounds, the possibility of improving hypercortisolism control using different drug combinations emerged. PURPOSE: No absolute recommendations are available to guide the therapeutic choice for patients with CS and, consequently, the awareness of unmet needs in CS management is growing. Although new data from clinical trials are needed to better define the most appropriate management of CS, an expert consensus approach can help define unmet needs and optimize the current CS management and treatment. METHODS: Twenty-seven endocrinologists from 12 Italian regions, working among the main Italian referral centers for hospital endocrinology where they take care of CS patients, were involved in a consensus process and used the Delphi method to reach an agreement on 24 statements about managing CS patients. RESULTS: In total, 18 statements reached a consensus. Some relevant unmet needs in the management of CS were reported, mainly related to the lack of a pharmacological treatment successful for the majority of patients. CONCLUSION: While acknowledging the difficulty in achieving complete disease control, a significant change in CS management requires the availability of medical treatment with improved efficacy and safety over available therapeutic options at the time of the current study.

Second-line tests in the differential diagnosis of neoplastic and non-neoplastic hypercortisolism: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: The clinical and hormonal overlap between neoplastic (CS) and non-neoplastic (NNH/pCS) hypercortisolism is a challenge. Various dynamic tests have been proposed to allow an early discrimination between these conditions, but to date there is no agreement on which of them should be used. AIM: To provide an overview of the available tests and to obtain a quantitative synthesis of their diagnostic performance in discriminating NNH/pCS from CS. METHODS: The included articles, published between 1990 and 2022, applied one or more second line tests to differentiate NNH/pCS from CS patients. For the NNH/pCS group, we admitted the inclusion of patients presenting clinical features and/or biochemical findings suggestive of hypercortisolism despite apparent lack of a pCS-related condition. RESULTS: The electronic search identified 339 articles. After references analysis and study selection, we identified 9 studies on combined dexamethasone-corticotropin releasing hormone (Dex-CRH) test, 4 on Desmopressin test and 3 on CRH test; no study on Dex-Desmopressin met the inclusion criteria. Dex-CRH test provided the highest sensitivity (97%, 95 CI% [88%; 99%]). CRH tests showed excellent specificity (99%, 95% CI [0%; 100%]), with low sensitivity. Although metaregression analysis based on diagnostic odds ratio failed to provide a gold standard, CRH test (64.77, 95% CI [0.15; 27,174.73]) seemed to lack in performance compared to the others (Dex-CRH 138.83, 95% CI [49.38; 390.32] and Desmopressin 110.44, 95% CI [32.13; 379.63]). DISCUSSION: Both Dex-CRH and Desmopressin tests can be valid tools in helping discrimination between NNH/pCS and CS. Further studies are needed on this topic, possibly focusing on mild Cushing's Disease and well-characterized NNH/pCS patients. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022359774 , identifier CRD42022359774.

Type 3 autoimmune polyglandular syndrome (APS-3) or type 3 multiple autoimmune syndrome (MAS-3): an expanding galaxy.

BACKGROUND: The number of recognised distinct autoimmune diseases (AIDs) has progressively increased over the years with more than 100 being reported today. The natural history of AIDs is characterized by progression from latent and subclinical to clinical stages and is associated with the presence of the specific circulating autoantibodies. Once presented, AIDs are generally chronic conditions. AIDs have the tendency to cluster and co-occur in a single patient. Autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) are the most prevalent of AIDs in the world population, and about one-third of the AITD patients also present with a non-thyroid AID during their life-span. Furthermore, patient with non-thyroid AIDs often presents with a form of AITD as a concurrent condition. Many of the clusters of AIDs are well characterized as distinctive syndromes, while some are infrequent and only described in case reports. PURPOSE: In this review, we describe the wide spectrum of the combinations and the intricate relationships between AITD and the other AIDs, excluding Addison's disease. These combinations are collectively termed type 3 Autoimmune Polyglandular Syndrome (APS-3), also called type 3 Multiple Autoimmune Syndrome (MAS-3), and represent the most frequent APS in the world populations. CONCLUSIONS: Numerous associations of AITD with various AIDs could be viewed as if the other AIDs were gravitating like satellites around AITD located in the center of a progressively expanding galaxy of autoimmunity.

Renin and electrolytes indicate the mineralocorticoid activity of fludrocortisone: a 6 year study in primary adrenal insufficiency.

CONTEXT: Fludrocortisone (FC) is the mineralocorticoid (MC) replacement treatment for patients with primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI). OBJECTIVE: To explore the dose of FC treatment and its relationship with glucocorticoid therapy, sodium, potassium, renin and clinical parameters. SETTING: Monocentric cohort. PATIENTS: Data of 193 patients with PAI (130 autoimmune) were collected during baseline (T0), intermediate (T1) and last follow-up visit (T2, respectively, after a mean of 38 and 72 months). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Utility of endocrine and clinical parameters to titrate FC dose. RESULTS: FC dose (50-75 µg/daily) was stable in the follow-up in half patients. The MC activity of FC was dose-dependent: we observed a reduced but significant positive linear correlation between FC dose and sodium (r = 0.132) and negative linear correlation between FC and potassium (r = - 0.162) or renin (r = - 0.131, all p < 0.01). An overall reduction in the FC dose was observed at T2 in the group with longer follow-up (> 60 months, p < 0.05). Higher doses of FC were observed in patients with low-normal renin, especially in autoimmune PAI (86 vs 65 µg/daily, p < 0.05). On the contrary, reduced sodium and increased potassium levels were observed in patients with high renin at T2. The number of cardiovascular events (15 in the whole cohort) was similar in patients sorted by renin levels or FC dose. CONCLUSIONS: Renin and electrolytes can indicate the MC activity of FC treatment: they should be routinely evaluated and used to titrate its dose that can be reduced in the long-term follow-up.

Indication to dynamic and invasive testing in Cushing's disease according to different neuroradiological findings.

PURPOSE: Dynamic testing represents the mainstay in the differential diagnosis of ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome. However, in case of undetectable or detectable lesion < 6 mm on MRI, bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling (BIPSS) is suggested by current guidelines. Aim of this study was to analyze the performance of CRH, desmopressin and high-dose dexamethasone suppression test (HDDST) in the differential diagnosis of ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome as well as the impact of invasive and noninvasive tests on surgical outcome in patients affected by Cushing's disease (CD). METHODS: Retrospective analysis on 148 patients with CD and 26 patients with ectopic ACTH syndrome. RESULTS: Among CD patients, negative MRI/lesion < 6 mm was detected in 97 patients (Group A); 29 had a 6-10 mm lesion (Group B) and 22 a macroadenoma (Group C). A positive response to CRH test, HDSST and desmopressin test was recorded in 89.4%, 91·4% and 70.1% of cases, respectively. Concordant positive response to both CRH/HDDST and CRH/desmopressin tests showed a positive predictive value of 100% for the diagnosis of CD. Among Group A patients with concordant CRH test and HDDST, no difference in surgical outcome was found between patients who performed BIPSS and those who did not (66.6% vs 70.4%, p = 0.78). CONCLUSIONS: CRH, desmopressin test and HDDST have high accuracy in the differential diagnosis of ACTH-dependent CS. In patients with microadenoma < 6 mm or non-visible lesion, a concordant positive response to noninvasive tests seems sufficient to diagnose CD, irrespective of MRI finding. In these patients, BIPSS should be reserved to discordant tests.

Frequently asked questions and answers (if any) in patients with adrenal incidentaloma.

PURPOSE: Adrenal incidentalomas (AIs) are incidentally discovered adrenal masses, during an imaging study undertaken for other reasons than the suspicion of adrenal disease. Their management is not a minor concern for patients and health-care related costs, since their increasing prevalence in the aging population. The exclusion of malignancy is the first question to attempt, then a careful evaluation of adrenal hormones is suggested. Surgery should be considered in case of overt secretion (primary aldosteronism, adrenal Cushing's Syndrome or pheochromocytoma), however the management of subclinical secretion is still a matter of debate. METHODS: The aim of the present narrative review is to offer a practical guidance regarding the management of AI, by providing evidence-based answers to frequently asked questions. CONCLUSION: The clinical experience is of utmost importance: a personalized diagnostic-therapeutic approach, based upon multidisciplinary discussion, is suggested.

Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1: an Italian survey on 158 patients.

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune Polyglandular Syndrome type 1 (APS-1) is a rare recessive inherited disease, caused by AutoImmune Regulator (AIRE) gene mutations and characterized by three major manifestations: chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMC), chronic hypoparathyroidism (CH) and Addison's disease (AD). METHODS: Autoimmune conditions and associated autoantibodies (Abs) were analyzed in 158 Italian patients (103 females and 55 males; F/M 1.9/1) at the onset and during a follow-up of 23.7 ± 15.1 years. AIRE mutations were determined. RESULTS: The prevalence of APS-1 was 2.6 cases/million (range 0.5-17 in different regions). At the onset 93% of patients presented with one or more components of the classical triad and 7% with other components. At the end of follow-up, 86.1% had CH, 77.2% AD, 74.7% CMC, 49.5% premature menopause, 29.7% autoimmune intestinal dysfunction, 27.8% autoimmune thyroid diseases, 25.9% autoimmune gastritis/pernicious anemia, 25.3% ectodermal dystrophy, 24% alopecia, 21.5% autoimmune hepatitis, 17% vitiligo, 13.3% cholelithiasis, 5.7% connective diseases, 4.4% asplenia, 2.5% celiac disease and 13.9% cancer. Overall, 991 diseases (6.3 diseases/patient) were found. Interferon-ω Abs (IFNωAbs) were positive in 91.1% of patients. Overall mortality was 14.6%. The AIRE mutation R139X was found in 21.3% of tested alleles, R257X in 11.8%, W78R in 11.4%, C322fsX372 in 8.8%, T16M in 6.2%, R203X in 4%, and A21V in 2.9%. Less frequent mutations were present in 12.9%, very rare in 9.6% while no mutations in 11% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: In Italy, APS-1 is a rare disorder presenting with the three major manifestations and associated with different AIRE gene mutations. IFNωAbs are markers of APS-1 and other organ-specific autoantibodies are markers of clinical, subclinical or potential autoimmune conditions.

Radiomics: a new tool to differentiate adrenocortical adenoma from carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The main challenge in the management of indeterminate incidentally discovered adrenal tumours is to differentiate benign from malignant lesions. In the absence of clear signs of invasion or metastases, imaging techniques do not always precisely define the nature of the mass. The present pilot study aimed to determine whether radiomics may predict malignancy in adrenocortical tumours. METHODS: CT images in unenhanced, arterial, and venous phases from 19 patients who had undergone resection of adrenocortical tumours and a cohort who had undergone surveillance for at least 5 years for incidentalomas were reviewed. A volume of interest was drawn for each lesion using dedicated software, and, for each phase, first-order (histogram) and second-order (grey-level colour matrix and run-length matrix) radiological features were extracted. Data were revised by an unsupervised machine learning approach using the K-means clustering technique. RESULTS: Of operated patients, nine had non-functional adenoma and 10 carcinoma. There were 11 patients in the surveillance group. Two first-order features in unenhanced CT and one in arterial CT, and 14 second-order parameters in unenhanced and venous CT and 10 second-order features in arterial CT, were able to differentiate adrenocortical carcinoma from adenoma (P < 0.050). After excluding two malignant outliers, the unsupervised machine learning approach correctly predicted malignancy in seven of eight adrenocortical carcinomas in all phases. CONCLUSION: Radiomics with CT texture analysis was able to discriminate malignant from benign adrenocortical tumours, even by an unsupervised machine learning approach, in nearly all patients.

Tele-medicine versus face-to-face consultation in Endocrine Outpatients Clinic during COVID-19 outbreak: a single-center experience during the lockdown period.

CONTEXT: The COVID-19 outbreak in Italy is the major concern of Public Health in 2020: measures of containment were progressively expanded, limiting Outpatients' visit. OBJECTIVE: We have developed and applied an emergency plan, tailored for Outpatients with endocrine diseases. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study from March to May 2020. SETTING: Referral University-Hospital center. PATIENTS: 1262 patients in 8 weeks. INTERVENTIONS: The emergency plan is based upon the endocrine triage, the stay-safe procedures and the tele-Endo. During endocrine triage every patient was contacted by phone to assess health status and define if the visit will be performed face-to-face (F2F) or by tele-Medicine (tele-Endo). In case of F2F, targeted stay-safe procedures have been adopted. Tele-Endo, performed by phone and email, is dedicated to COVID-19-infected patients, to elderly or frail people, or to those with a stable disease. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: To assess efficacy of the emergency plan to continue the follow-up of Outpatients. RESULTS: The number of visits cancelled after endocrine triage (9%) is lower than that cancelled independently by the patients (37%, p < 0.001); the latter reduced from 47 to 19% during the weeks of lockdown (p = 0.032). 86% of patients contacted by endocrine-triage received a clinical response (F2F and tele-Endo visits). F2F visit was offered especially to young patients; tele-Endo was applied to 63% of geriatric patients (p < 0.001), visits' outcome was similar between young and aged patients. CONCLUSIONS: The emergency plan respects the WHO recommendations to limit viral spread and is useful to continue follow-up for outpatients with endocrine diseases.

What we have to know about corticosteroids use during Sars-Cov-2 infection.

PURPOSE: Glucocorticoids (GCs), alone or associated to other drugs, were widely used in the management of patients affected by severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, during the recent COVID-19 outbreak. This review summarizes the available data on HPA axis impairment in GC-treated SARS-CoV-2 patients, focusing on the risk of adrenal insufficiency and on potential drug interactions during concomitant treatments. METHODS: Literature on the impact of GCs therapy on HPA axis and on the consequences of coadministration of GCs and other drugs in SARS-CoV-2 patients has been reviewed. RESULTS: GC treatment can cause symptoms of hypercortisolism, especially in patients with individual hypersensibility, or hypoadrenalism after drug withdrawal, due to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis suppression, with consequences in terms of increased morbidity and mortality risk. On the other hand, in SARS-CoV-2-infected patient's cortisol secretion could be insufficient also due to critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency (CIRCI). In addition, in this clinical context, the co-administration of antiretroviral drugs and corticosteroids may trigger drug-drug interaction and enhance the exposure to the latter ones, metabolized through the CYP450 CYP3A pathway, severely impacting on HPA axis. CONCLUSION: Physicians involved in the management of patients affected by COVID-19 should be aware of the need of an appropriate GC dose tapering, and of potential interaction of GCs with antiviral therapy and drugs used to treat associated co-morbidities.

Dexamethasone measurement during low-dose suppression test for suspected hypercortisolism: threshold development with and validation.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST), recommended for Cushing's Syndrome (CS) diagnosis, explores the pituitary feedback to glucocorticoids. Its diagnostic accuracy could be affected by dexamethasone bioavailability, and therefore, we have developed and validated a dexamethasone threshold after 1-mg DST. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 200 subjects: 125 patients were considered retrospectively and 75 were enrolled prospectively as the validation cohort. Serum dexamethasone, Late Night Salivary Cortisol (LNSC), and Urinary Free Cortisol (UFC) were measured with LC-MS/MS. Normal LNSC and UFC levels were used to exclude CS. The lower 2.5th percentile of dexamethasone distribution in non-CS patients with cortisol ≤ 50 nmol/L after 1-mg DST was used as threshold. RESULTS: 16 patients were CS and 184 non-CS (108 adrenal incidentaloma and 76 excluded CS); 4.5 nmol/L resulted the calculated threshold. Cortisol after 1-mg DST confirmed high sensitivity (100% at 50 nmol/L cut-off) and moderate-low specificity (63%, increased to 91% at 138 nmol/L) to diagnose CS in the whole cohort of patients. We could reduce the number of false-positive results (from 10 to 6 and from 7 to 4 in AI and excluded CS) considering adequate dexamethasone levels. Dexamethasone levels were not affected by hypercortisolism, age, gender, smoke, weight, and creatinine. 6% of non-CS patients did not achieve adequate dexamethasone levels (40% of tests with serum cortisol > 138 nmol/L after 1-mg DST). CONCLUSIONS: We developed and validated the routine dexamethasone measurement during 1-mg DST: it is independent from patient's clinical presentation, and it should be used to increase the specificity of serum cortisol levels.

The haemostatic system in acromegaly: a single-centre case-control study.

PURPOSE: Although the mortality from acromegaly is due in most cases to an increased cardiovascular risk, no study has globally evaluated the haemostatic balance in acromegaly to ascertain the presence of hypercoagulability. We endeavoured to assess the overall coagulation profile in patients with acromegaly using both traditional and global coagulation assays. METHODS: Consecutive outpatients with a diagnosis of acromegaly were enrolled and matched with healthy subjects. Whole blood thromboelastometry and impedance aggregometry, procoagulant, anticoagulant and fibrinolytic factors, as well as thrombin-generation assay and circulating endothelium-derived microvesicles were measured. RESULTS: Forty patients (M/F 14/26, median age 59 years) with either new diagnosis (naïve, 14 cases) or treated acromegaly (26 cases) were enrolled in this study. Median time from diagnosis was 11 years. Levels of factor VIII and fibrinogen were significantly higher in acromegalic patients vs. controls (p = 0.029 and < 0.003, respectively). Overall, thromboelastometry parameters showed a faster coagulation formation with a more stable clot. Acromegaly patients showed significantly higher endogenous thrombin potential [ETP] and thrombin peak compared to controls (p = 0.016 and p < 0.001, respectively). ETP remained significantly higher (p < 0.001) when thrombomodulin was added. Endothelial-derived microvesicles were significantly higher in acromegaly patients than controls (52 [40.5-67] MVs/µL and 30 [18-80] MVs/µL, p = 0.03). Patients with untreated (naïve) acromegaly showed significantly reduced ETP with and without thrombomodulin vs. patients with treated acromegaly (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Hypercoagulability in acromegaly is mainly due to higher levels of fibrinogen, factor VIII and thrombin generation, and appears to be more linked to the chronic phase of the disease.

Perioperative multidisciplinary management of endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for sellar lesions: practical suggestions from the Padova model.

Perioperative management of patients with sellar lesion submitted to endoscopic transsphenoidal neurosurgery (TSS) lacks standardization and therefore it is committed to each center clinical practice. Although neurosurgical procedure remains the same for all sellar lesions, perioperative approach can require different measures depending on the underlying disease. With the aim of standardizing our perioperative procedures and sharing our experience with other centers involved in the management of pituitary disease, we developed a clinical care path for patients with sellar lesions candidate to endoscopic TSS. For the drafting of the following protocol, the national and international guidelines published in the last 5 years have been evaluated and integrated with our center experience accumulated in decades of clinical practice. A steering committee including medical doctors involved in management of patients with pituitary masses at the Padua Hospital reviewed current knowledge on this topic. The committee developed a first draft which was shared with a broader group of medical doctors to reach a preliminary consensus; when it was reached, the clinical care assistance pathway was confirmed, validated, and published in the local web-based health service. We want to present and share our experience with colleagues involved in the perioperative management of pituitary diseases in other centers.

Towards the tailoring of glucocorticoid replacement in adrenal insufficiency: the Italian Society of Endocrinology Expert Opinion.

CONTEXT: Glucocorticoid (GC) replacement therapy in patients with adrenal insufficiency (AI) is life saving. After over 50 years of conventional GC treatment, novel formulations are now entering routine clinical practice. METHODS: Given the spectrum of medications currently available and new insights into the understanding of AI, the authors reviewed relevant medical literature with emphasis on original studies, prospective observational data and randomized controlled trials performed in the past 35 years. The Expert Opinion of a panel of selected endocrinologists was sought to answer specific clinical questions. The objective was to provide an evidence-supported guide, for the use of GC in various settings from university hospitals to outpatient clinics, that offers specific advice tailored to the individual patient. RESULTS: The Panel reviewed available GC replacement therapies, comprising short-acting, intermediate and long-acting oral formulations, subcutaneous formulations and the novel modified-release hydrocortisone. Advantages and disadvantages of these formulations were reviewed. CONCLUSIONS: In the Panel's opinion, achieving the optimal GC timing and dosing is needed to improve the outcome of AI. No-single formulation offers the best option for every patients. Recent data suggest that more emphasis should be given to the timing of intake. Tailoring of GS should be attempted in all patients-by experts-on a case-by-case basis. The Panel identified specific subgroups of AI patients that could be help by this process. Long-term studies are needed to confirm the short-term benefits associated with the modified-release GCs. The impact of GC tailoring has yet to be proven in terms of hospitalization rate, morbidity and mortality.

Analysis of characteristics and outcomes by growth hormone treatment duration in adult patients in the Italian cohort of the Hypopituitary Control and Complications Study (HypoCCS).

PURPOSE: To examine differences in effects according to growth hormone (GH) treatment duration in adult GH-deficient patients. METHODS: In the Italian cohort of the observational Hypopituitary Control and Complications Study, GH-treated adults with GH deficiency (GHD) were grouped by duration of treatment; ≤ 2 years (n = 451), > 2 to ≤ 6 years (n = 387) and > 6 years (n = 395). Between-group differences in demographics, medical history, physical characteristics, insulin-like growth factor-I standard deviation score (IGF-I SDS) and lipid profile at baseline, last study visit and changes from baseline to last study visit were assessed overall, for adult- and childhood-onset GHD and by gender using ANOVA for continuous variables and Chi-squared test for categorical variables. RESULTS: At baseline, treatment duration groups did not differ significantly for age, gender, body mass index, GHD onset, IGF-I SDS, lipid profile, and quality of life. Mean initial GH dose did not differ significantly according to treatment duration group in any subgroup, except female patients, with highest mean dose seen in the longest duration group. In the longest duration group for patients overall, adult-onset patients and male patients, there were significant decreases in GH dose from baseline to last visit, and in total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol concentrations. IGF-I SDS increased, to a greater extent, in the longest duration group for patients overall and female patients. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that long-term GH treatment is associated with decreasing GH dose, increased IGF-I, decreased LDL-cholesterol and the presence of surrogate markers that help to give confidence in a diagnosis of GHD.