ACTION APAC: Understanding perceptions, attitudes and behaviours in obesity and its management across south and Southeast Asia.

To identify perceptions and attitudes among people with obesity (PwO) and healthcare professionals (HCPs) toward obesity and its management in nine Asia-Pacific (APAC) countries, a cross-sectional online survey was conducted among adult PwO with self-reported body mass index of ≥25 kg/m2 (≥27 kg/m2, Singapore), and HCPs involved in direct patient care. In total, 10 429 PwO and 1901 HCPs completed the survey. Most PwO (68%) and HCPs (84%) agreed that obesity is a disease; however, a significant proportion of PwO (63%) and HCPs (41%) believed weight loss was the complete responsibility of PwO and only 43% of PwO discussed weight with an HCP in the prior 5 years. Most respondents acknowledged that weight loss would be extremely beneficial to PwO's overall health (PwO 76%, HCPs 85%), although nearly half (45%) of PwO misperceived themselves as overweight or of normal weight. Obesity was perceived by PwO (58%) and HCPs (53%) to negatively impact PwO forming romantic relationships. HCPs cited PwOs' lack of interest (41%) and poor motivation (37%) to lose weight as top reasons for not discussing weight. Most PwO (65%) preferred lifestyle changes over medications to lose weight. PwO and HCPs agreed that lack of exercise and unhealthy eating habits were the major barriers to weight loss. Our data highlights a discordance between the understanding of obesity as a disease and the actual behaviour and preferred approaches to manage it among PwO and HCPs. The study addresses a need to align these gaps to deliver optimal care for PwO.

Obesity in South and Southeast Asia-A new consensus on care and management.

Obesity is a chronic disease in which the abnormal or excessive accumulation of body fat leads to impaired health and increased risk of mortality and chronic health complications. Prevalence of obesity is rising rapidly in South and Southeast Asia, with potentially serious consequences for local economies, healthcare systems, and quality of life. Our group of obesity specialists from Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Viet Nam undertook to develop consensus recommendations for management and care of adults and children with obesity in South and Southeast Asia. To this end, we identified and researched 12 clinical questions related to obesity. These questions address the optimal approaches for identifying and staging obesity, treatment (lifestyle, behavioral, pharmacologic, and surgical options) and maintenance of reduced weight, as well as issues related to weight stigma and patient engagement in the clinical setting. We achieved consensus on 42 clinical recommendations that address these questions. An algorithm describing obesity care is presented, keyed to the various consensus recommendations.

2021 Asia-Pacific Graves' Disease Consortium Survey of Clinical Practice Patterns in the Management of Graves' Disease.

AIM: Although Graves' disease (GD) is common in endocrine practices worldwide, global differences in diagnosis and management remain. We sought to assess the current practices for GD in countries across Asia and the Pacific (APAC), and to compare these with previously published surveys from North America and Europe. METHODS: A web-based survey on GD management was conducted on practicing clinicians. Responses from 542 clinicians were received and subsequently analysed and compared to outcomes from similar surveys from other regions. RESULTS: A total of 542 respondents participated in the survey, 515 (95%) of whom completed all sections. Of these, 86% were medical specialists, 11% surgeons, and 3% nuclear medicine physicians. In addition to serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine assays, most respondents would request TSH-receptor autoantibody (TRAb) measurement (68%) during initial work-up. Thyroid ultrasound is requested by about half of respondents (53%), while the use of nuclear medicine scans is limited. The preferred first-line treatment is anti-thyroid drug (ATD) therapy (79%) with methimazole (MMI) or carbimazole (CBZ), followed by radioiodine (RAI; 19%) and surgery (2%). In case of surgery, one-third of respondents would opt for a subtotal rather than a total thyroidectomy. In case of mild Graves orbitopathy (GO), ATDs (67%) remains the preferred treatment, but a larger proportion of clinicians prefer surgery (20%). For a patient with intention to conceive, the preferred treatment pattern remained unchanged, although propylthiouracil (PTU) became the preferred ATD-agent during the first trimester. In comparison to European and American practices, marked differences were noted in the relatively infrequent usage of nuclear medicine scans and the overall higher use of a ATDs and ß-blockers and adjunctive ATD-treatment during RAI in the APAC-group. CONCLUSION: Although regional differences regarding the diagnosis and management of GD are apparent in this first pan-Asia-Pacific survey, this study reveals the overall approach to the management of this disease in Asia-Pacific generally tends to fall between the trends appreciated in the American and European cohorts.

Central Hyperthyroidism due to Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone-Secreting Pituitary Microadenoma in an Adolescent Boy: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Thyroid-stimulating hormone- (TSH-) secreting pituitary adenoma (TSH-oma) is a rare cause of secondary hyperthyroidism and can be misdiagnosed as primary hyperthyroidism. We report a case of a 15-year-old male patient who was one of two monozygotic twins and exhibited hyperthyroidism syndrome. The laboratory results showed secondary hyperthyroidism, with increased levels of free T3 (FT3) and free T4 (FT4) and no TSH inhibition. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histopathological examination of the pituitary gland confirmed pituitary microadenoma. The patient was treated with methimazole, propranolol, and somatostatin analogs to restore euthyroidism before undergoing an endoscopic transsphenoidal resection of the pituitary tumor. After surgery, the hyperthyroidism symptoms improved, thyroid hormones normalized, and MRI of the pituitary gland showed the complete removal of the tumor with no recurrence after 2 years of follow-up.

Characteristics of metabolic syndrome and its clinical components among diabetic Vietnamese patients: A survry at two institutions in Ho Chi Minh City.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among Vietnamese diabetic patients and to investigate their characteristics. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 652 outpatients who were recruited from one public general hospital (People Hospital 115) and one private clinic (Medic Center) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We obtained informed consent from participants, collected clinical information from medical files, and conducted patient interviews. We evaluated the collected information descriptively and diagnosed metabolic syndrome according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Worldwide Definition of the Metabolic Syndrome. RESULTS: A total of 517 eligible patients (175 men and 342 women) were analyzed. Mean age was 54.6 years for men and 60.7 years for women. Metabolic syndrome was observed in 39.4% of men and 70.5% of women. Central obesity was more prevalent among women (72.5%) compared to men (39.4%). Participants with metabolic syndrome were less likely to endorse a sense of general well-being, and women with metabolic syndrome were likely to have less diabetes-related distress. CONCLUSIONS: this study revealed a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome in diabetic Vietnamese patients, especially among women, and revealed central obesity as a key feature. A prospective study should be conducted in this population in order to assess impacts of metabolic syndrome on disease outcome.