Endocrine Flashcards
Thyrotoxicosis - Causes
- Primary
-
Grave’s
- Most Common, younger F:M 10:1
- ABs bind TSH-R and stimulate TSH production/release
- TMN
- Second most common, >50yrs, milder
- Can present acutely if iodine deficient pt receives iodine load
- Toxic adenoma
-
Grave’s
- Thyroiditis
- Painful
- De Quervain syndrome
- Suppurative
- Not painful
- Trauma
- Drug - amio /Li / iodine
- Infection
- Autoimmune
- Radiation
- Subacute / subclinical /
- Painful
- Postpartum thyroiditis
- Exogenous / Factitious
- Secondary (rare)
- Pituitary adenoma, Ectopic/metastatic thryrdoid tissue
Thyrotoxicosis - Eye signs
- Stare
- Exophthalmos
- Lid lag
- Proptosis
- Increased tearing / irritation
- Peri-orbital oedema
- Limited superior gaze
Thyroid Storm Treatment
- ABCs
-
Step 1 - Beta blocker
- Propanolol 0.5-1mg IV q15min
- Sympathetic surge
-
Step 2 - Stop T4 → T3 production
- PTU 500-1000mg PO/NG/PR
- Methimazole 20-30mg
-
Step 3 - Inhibit T3/T4 release
- Potassium iodide 5 drops
- Lugol solution 4-8 drops
- NB only 1 hr after Step 2 (can worsen Sx)
-
Step 4 - Inhibit peripheral T4 → T3 conversion
- Hydrocortisone 300mg IV
- PTU and propanolol also do this
-
Supportive
- ABCs
- ABx
- Cooling /Benzos for agitation / IVF / Glucose
Additional interventions
Cholestyramine
Blocks enterohepatic recirculation of thyroid hormone
Dose: 4 g PO Q6 hours
L-Carnitine
Blocks entry of thyroid hormone into cells
Dose: 1 g PO Q12 hours
Thyroid Storm - Clinical criteria
- Fever
- Tachycardia
- AMS
- CCF
- GI
- Ppt event
Burch-Wartofsky Scale
Score > 45 high likelihood, 25-44 impending, <25 unlikely
Thyroid Storm - precipitants
Untreated / undiagnosed or non-compliant + stressor => thyrois storm
- Systemic - trauma, infection/sepsis, surgery
- Endocrine insult - DKA, HHS
- Drug induced
- CVS - MI, CVA, PE,
- OBS - labour, pre-eclampsia
- Radioactive iodine
Hypothyroidism Causes
Primary causes:
- Idiopathic atrophy (95%) of cases.
- Iatrogenic (ie post radioactive iodine or surgery)
- Congenital, (agenesis)
With goitre (reduced thyroid hormone and elevated TSH):
- Iodine deficiency - commonest cause globally
- Chronic thyroiditis
- Hashimoto’s
- Pregnancy / Post-partum
- Infection
- Surgery
- Trauma
- Radiation
- Drugs
- Iodine / amio / Li
- Non-compliance
Secondary Causes: (rare)
- Pituitary disease
- Hypothalamic disease
Hypothyroid - Bloods
High TSH and Low T4 - primary hypothyroidism
Others
- Mild anaemia
- Hypercholesterolemia
- Elevated hepatic enzyme levels
- Elevated prolactin level
- Hyponatremia secondary to extracellular volume expansion produced by an elevated antidiuretic hormone level
- Blood glucose levels may be normal to low as a result of decreased gluconeogenesis and reduced insulin clearance.
Myxodema Coma - Clinical findings
- Hypothermia
- Hypotension - refractory
- Hypoventilation - T2RF
- Bradycardia
- AMS - lethargy to stupor to coma
- Myxoedema - puffy eyelids, large tongue, broad nose, legs
- Metabolic
- Low Na, glucose
Myxoedema PPt
- Myocardial infarction
- Infection
- Sepsis
- Stroke
- Pulmonary embolism
- Prolonged exposure to cold
- Exposure to drugs that suppress the central nervous system
- DKA
Myxoedema Crisis - Rx
Supportive
- ABC
- IVF
- May need fluid restriction for low Na
- Rx hypogylcaemia
- Hypothermia - passive warming
- IV hydrocortisone 100mg
- Rx underlying ppt
Specific
- Thyroid hormone replacement
- T3 - 20mcg IV or 10mcg IV if old or Hx of CVD/arrhthmia
- T4 - 200-400mcg IV then 75-100mcg daily
Interpreting Thyroid tests

Diabetes diagnostic criteria
- HbA1C >6.5%
- Fasting glucose >7.0mmol/l
- Random glucose >11.1mmol/l AND Sx
- OGT glucose >11.1mmol/l
Serum osmolality
275-295 mOsm/kg
2[Na+] + glucose/18 +BUN/2.8
Estimated
2[Na] + glucose + urea
Corrected Sodium
135-145
[1.6 x (glucose -5.6)] /5.6
Estimated
Na + (glucose -5 /3)
Cerebral Oedema
- High mortality 90%
- Occurs 6-8 hours into correction of hyperglycaemic state
- Consider if
- acute drop in GCS / coma
- Severe headache
- Pupil changes
- BP changes
- Seizures
RF
- First diagnosis
- <5yrs
- Initial pH <7.1 and CO2 <18
- Aggressive IVF
- ? HCO3 infusion
Mx
- Supportive + ABCs
- Head up 30 degrees
- Mannitol 1-2g/kg or 3% saline 5-10ml/kg
- Decrease IVF rate to 1/3
- No role of steroids
- CT head
DKA Mx and Therapeutic End Points
Mx
- Resuscitate
- Correct hypotension / bradycardia
- No insulin until K+ >3.3mmol
- Repair/Replace
- Volume repletion
- Fluid deficits >100ml/kg
- Correct electrolyte imbalances
- Insulin 0.1unit/kg/hr
- Rx ppt cause
- Prevent complications
- VTE Prevention
- Volume repletion
- Reassess
- Ongoing BSL / ketone / K monitoring
- Add 5% dextrose when BSL <15mmol
- K+ replacement
- > 5.5 - no replacment
- 4-5.4 - 10mmol /hr
- <4 - 20mmol /hr
- <3.3 - stop insulin and replace K+
Therapeutic Goals
- Ketones 0.5mmol/hr
- HCO3 - 3mmol/hr
- BSL - 3mmol/hr
- K+ - 4-5mmol
Resolution
- Clinical improvement
- BSL <11.1
- Ketones < 0.6
- VBG pH > 7.3
HHS
- Hyperglycaemia >30mmol
- Ketones <3
- Acidosis pH>7.3, HCO3 >15
- Hyperosmolarity >320 mOsm/kg
- Dehydration
- AMS
Mx
- Resuscitate
- Rx underlying cause
- IVF
- Fluid deficit 100-220ml/kg
- Aim 50% deficit in first 12 hours
- 0/9% Saline 1l.hr for first few hours
- If Na corrected(serum osmolality) responding then continue at slower rate
- If Na corrected high then switch to .45% Saline
- Electrolyte repletion
- K / Mg / PO4
- K+ supplementation as per DKA
- BSL
- Insulin 0.1u/kg/hr
- Lower by 3mmol/hr
- When BSL <15
- Insulin 0.05u/kg/hr
- Dex/Saline
- ICU/Endocrine
- VTE prophylaxis
DKA vs HHS

Hypercalcaemia
Serum levels >3mmol/l symptomatic
Calc:
Sx: Stones, Bones, Moans, Groans
Signs: ECG - short QT interval
Mx
Excretion
- IVF
- LOOP diuretic (thiazide makes worse)
- Dialyse
Osteoclast inhibition (dec Ca release)
- Bisphosphonate - Pamidronate 90mg IV
- Calcitonin - PRN for cardiac dysrhythmias - takes 24-48 hrs to work
Adrenal Insufficiency Causes
PRIMARY - high ACTH, low cortisol (hence hyperpigmentation)
-
Chronic
- Autoimmune (Addison’s)
- Post infectious - HIV, CMV, MAC, TB,
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
- Post-infectious
- Metastatic - breast/lung Ca
- Infiltrative
- Bilateral adrenalectomy
- Drugs - rifampicin, etomidate, ketoconazole
- Autoimmune (Addison’s)
-
Acute
- Haemorrhage /infarction
- Meningooccaemia (Waterhouse - Friedrichson’s)
- Anticoagulants
- Anticardiolipin AB syndrome
- Trauma
- Haemorrhage /infarction
SECONDARY - severe stressor
-
Chronic
- Pituitary - tumour, surgery
- Drugs
- Chronic steroid use
- MAB therapy
- Infiltrative - TB, sarcoid, eosinophilic granuloma
-
Acute
- Pituitary apoplexy
- Sheehan’s (post-partum pituitary necrosis)
- TBI
- Relative - sepsis, hepatic failure, severe pancreatitis, trauma)
Hyponatraemia Causes
Def
- Na+130 -135 mmol/L - mild
- Na+125 -129 mmol/L - moderate
- Na+< 125 mmol/L - severe
- AMS, lethargy, confusion => seizures, coma
Causes
- Hypovolaemia - dehydration
- Water retention - failures - heart, kidney, liver, hypothyroid, psychogenic polydipsia
- Salt loss - duiretics
- Cerebral Salt wasting
SIADH
Essential criteria:
- Hyponatraemia
- Hypotonic - dec serum osmolality < 275mOsm/kg
- Urinary Na > 30 mmol/l
- Clinical normovolaemia
- No failures - cardiac, hepatic, renal
- Not drug related
Causes
- Tumours
- Lung - oat cell. bronchogenic
- Blood - leukaemia, lymphoma, thymoma
- Pancreatic
- Neurologic
- Trauma
- Infection
- GBS
- Autoimmune - SLE
- AIDS
- Pulmonary
- Pneumonia, TB, Abscess
- PPV
- Drugs
- Antidepressants - Fluoxetine/Amitriptyline, paroxetin
- Carbamazepine
Tests
Low serum osmolality
Urine osmolality > 100mOsm/l (impaired water excretion)
Urine Na > 30mmol/l
Urine vs Serum osmolality
In context of hyponatraemia:
Serum osmolality - if > 280 mosm/kg indicates spurious causes
- hyperproteinaemia / hyperlipidaemia
- hyperglycaemia / methanol / mannitol
Urine osmolality
•if serum hypo-osmolality confirmed +
Urine osmlolality < 100 mosm/kg
- complete and appropriate suppression of ADH
- causes
- primary polydipsia
- reset osmostat syndrome
Urine osmolality > 100 mosm/kg
- indicates impaired water excretion
- causes
- hypothyroidism
- adrenocortical insufficiency
- hypovolaemia
- renal /hepatic / cardiac failure
- SIAD
Urinary Na+
- < 20 mmol/L usually indicates hypovolaemia
- > 30 mmol/L is suggestive of SIADH
Sodium Correction
Seek and treat underlying cause
Euvolaemia - fluid restrict
Hypovolaemia - Volume replacement IV saline
3% Saline for treatment/prevention seizures
Consider loop diuretic to increase free water loss
Na correction
Acute hyponatraemia or chronic severe - rapid correction
•Na < 115
- increase [Na+] 5-8mml/L in 30-60min.
- then increase [Na+] 5-8 mmol/L each day for next 48-72 hours
•Na > 115
-aim to increase 5-8mmol/L each day for 48-72 hours
Sodium dose
•amount of Na+necessary to raise the serum [Na+] to 125 mmol/L approximated by
Na = (125-Na) X TBW x 0.6
•where Na+ is in mmol/L, TBW is total body water in (L) = body weight x 0.6
Phaeochromocytoma
Rare neoplams of adrenal medulla (90%) or SNS (10%)
Rare cause secondary HTN
Clinical features of xs catecholamines
Episodic - HA, sweating, pallor, flushing, tachycardia / palpitations
HTN / OH
CNS - anxiety
GIT - N/V/ wt loss
Ix
Metanephrine levels
24 urinary catecholamines / VMA
Imaging - CT /MRI
Mx
Alpha blockade prior to BB
- Prazocin 1-2mg PO or phentolamine IV 5mg
- BB - Labetalol / propanolol
- Endocrine / surgical / oncology referral