Endocrine Flashcards
What serology supports a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes?
- low or undetectable c-peptide levels
- anti-GAD5
- insulin autoantibody
- Anti-IA-2, anti-IA-2B (tyrosine phosphatases)
- anti-ZnT8
What HLA types are strongly associated with Type 1 diabetes?
HLA-DR3
HLA-DR4
(HLA-DR2 = protective)
What is the most common autoimune disease associated with type 1 diabetes?
Autoimmune thyroid disease
What is the most common form of auotimmune polyendocrine syndrome?
Type 2 (polygeneic, Addison’s, Type 1 diabetes, chronic thyroiditis)
What are features of autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1?
- AR inheritance
- AIRE gene on Chr 21
- asplenism
- commonly: canididaisis, hypoparathyroidism, Addisons
- also associated with type 1 diabetes
What are features of autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 2?
- polygeneic
- addison’s disease, type 1 diabetes, chronic thyroiditis
- female predominance
What processes are enhanced by insulin?
- glucose uptake into muscle and adipose
- glycolysis
- glycogen synthesis
- protein synthesis
- K+ and phosphate uptake
What processes are inhibited by insulin?
- gluconeogenesis
- glycogenolysis
- lipolysis
- ketoneogenesis
- proteolysis
What effects does insulin have on the liver?
- inhibits glycogenolysis
- inhibits ketoneogenesis
- inhibits gluconeogenesis
- promotoes glycogen synthesis
- increases triglyceride synthesis and VLDL formation
What effects does insulin have on muscle cells?
- promotes amino acid transport
- increases ribosomal protein synthesis
- promotes glucose transprt
- induces glycogen synthesis
- inhibits phosphorylase
What effects does insulin have adipose tissue?
- induces lipoprotein liase to hydrolyze triglycerides in circulating lipoprotein to deliver fatty acids to adipocytes
- promotes glucose transport into cell, allowing esterification of fatty acids
- inhibits intracellular lipase
What are the benefits of insulin analogues over human insulin?
- less hypoglycaemia
- less weight gain
- lower HbA1c
What is the typical starting dose of insulin for a type 1 diabetic?
0.5 units/kg/day
50% basal dose
What are the insulin carbohydrate ratio and insulin sensitivity factor?
Insulin carbohydrate ratio: how many grams of carb are covered by 1 unit of insulin
Insulin sensitivity factor: how much 1 unit of rapid acting insulin with lower a blood glucose over 2-4 hours
What is the effect of metformin in type 1 diabetes?
- small reduction in weight and lipids
- no effect on HbA1c
What is the target HbA1c in type 1 diabetes?
Individualised but typically 7% (53 mmol/mol)
What is the lag between interstitial and capillary glucose levels?
10 minutes
What is the diagnostic criteria of diabetic keotacidosis?
- BSL > 11 or known diabetes
- Ketones > 3.0 or 2+ ketonuria
- venous pH < 7.3 or HCO3 < 15
What features identify severe DKA?
- ketones > 6
- pH < 7.2 or HCO3 < 5
- K < 3.5
- GCS < 12
- Sats < 92%
- SBP < 90
- HR > 100 or < 60
What are the management principles of DKA?
- correct hypovolaemia and dehydration with IV fluids
- restore carbohydrate metabolism with IV insulin (+ Q1H BSL)
- monitor and correct electrolyte deficiencies especially potassium
- investigate and treat precipitant
What 8 factors contribute to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes?
- decreased insulin secretion
- Increased glucagon secretion
- Increased hepatic glucose production
- Neurotransmitter dysfunction
- Decreased glucose uptake by muscle
- Increased glucose reabsorption in kidney
- Increased lipolysis
- Decreased incretin effect in intestine
What are the complications fo diabetes?
Microvascular:
- retinopathy (non proliferative, pre proliferative and proliferative)
- Nephropathy
- Neuropathy (glove and stocking = distal symmetric neuropathy, multineuritis multiplex, autonomic)
Macrovascular:
- brain
- heart
-extremities
Autonomic:
- cardiovascular
- gastrointestinal
- sudomotor
- genitourinary
What are the definitions of microalbuminuria and clinical albuminuria?
microalbuminuria = 3-30 mg/mmol
clinical albuminuria = >3 mg/mmol
What is the lieftime risk of a diabetic developing a foot ulcer?
25% (15-34%)
What diabetes complications contribute to diabetic foot disease?
- somatic sensory neuropathy
- somatic motor neuropathy
- autonomic neuropathy
- peripheral artery disease
What are treatment options for type 2 diabetes?
1st line = diet + exercise
2nd line = metformin (biguanide)
3rd line:
- sulphonylurea (gliclazide, glipizide)
- DDP-IV inhibitors (vildagliptin)
- Alpha glucosidase inhibitors (acarbose)
- thiazolidinediones (Pioglitazone)
- SGLT2 inhibitors (empagliflozin)
- GLP-1 receptor agonists (dulaglutide)
- insulin
What is the mechanism of action of SGLT2i?
Impair the reabsorption of glucose in the proximal tubule of the kidneys
(SGLT2 is responsible for 90% glucose reabsorption)
What are the benefits of SGLT2i?
- lower HbA1c
- weight loss
- lower BP
- decrease MACE
- decrease HF hospitalisations
- reno protective
What are the risks of SGLT2i?
-GU infections
- DKA
- amputations
- fractures
- volume depletion
- AKI
What dose of SGLTi is associated with CV benefit?
10 mg for both empagliflozin and dapagliflozin
What eGFR must patients have before commencing SGLT2i?
Empagliflozin > 30
Dapagliflozin > 25
What is the mechanism of DKA with SGLT2i use?
Result in relative insulin deficiency due to lowering of plasma glucose, which results in increased action of glucagon
What is the mechansim of action of GLP1 receptor agonists?
- increase insulin secretion (decrease glucagon)
- increase glucose uptake in muscle and adipose
- increase natriuresis of kidney
- decrease appetite
- delays gastric emptying
- reduces gastric acid secretion
- increase HR, contractility and decrease BP
What GLP-1 receptor agonists have demonstrated CV benefit?
Dulaglutide
Semaglutide
What are risks of GLP-1 receptor agonists?
- acute pancreatitis
- hypoglycaemia
- accumulation in renal impairment (dulaglutide >15, semaglutide >30)
- increase in HR
What endocrine factors contribute to PCOS?
- abnormal pulsatile GnRH release
- causes elevated LH and FSH levels
- results in ovary dysfunction: hyperandrogenism and follicular arrest
- insulin resistance
What is the Rotterdam criteria for the diagnosis of PCOS?
Any 2 of 3 features:
- hyperandrogensim ( clinical = acne, hair loss, hirsutism, biochemical = non diagnostic on hormonal contraception)
- ovulatory dysfunction (primary amenorrhoea or irregular cycles)
- polycystic ovaries (follicle number per ovary >20)
What diagnoses need to be excluded to make a diagnosis of PCOS?
- nonclassical congenital adrenal hyperplasia (17-OH-progesterone)
- Androgen-secreting tumours (androgen profile)
- Hyperprolactinaemia
- thyroid disorders
- drug induced androgen excess
- syndromes of severe insulin resistance
- Cushing syndrome
- hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism
What is the role of anti-mullerian hormone in the diagnosis of PCOS?
As an alternative to pelvic ultrasound where a diagnosis of PCOS is not otherwise met with the Rotterdam criteria
How can hirsutism be treated in PCOS?
- COCP = most effective, increases SHBG which binds free androgens
- Androgen blockade = spirinolactone, cyproterone acetate
- metformin
- non pharmacological
How can menstrual irregularities be treated in PCOS?
- cocp
- POP
- mirena
- cyclical progestin (aiming 4 bleeds/year for endometrial protection)
How can infertility be treated in PCOS?
- letrozole to promote ovulation
- GnRH agonist with USS if fails to ovulate
- IVF
How should metabolic disease be treated in PCOS?
- CVD risk assessment and management of risk factors as per guideline
- screening for T2DM (OGTT)
- weight management
- smoking cessation
What is the typical pattern of puberty in women?
- Thelarche = breast pudding
- Pubarche = pubic ahir
- Menarche = menstruation starts
Amenorrhoea asscoiated with low oestrogen, low FSH and no hypothalamic-pituitary pathology is typically due to what cause?
Hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism
Amennprrhoea presenting with normal oestrogen, normal FSH and normal prolactin is typically due to what cause?
PCOS
Amenorrhoea presenting with low oestrogen and high FSH is typically due to what cause?
Gonadal failure
What is the DICER1 syndrome?
AD associated with Sertoli-Leydig tumour of ovaries with androgenism and multi-nodular goitre
What are clinical features of functional hypothalamic amenorrhoea?
- stress, weight loss and excercise
- low LH, FSH and oestrogen
How is functional hypothalamic amenorrhoea treated?
- lifestyle advice
- CBT
- oestrogen replacement
- ovulation induction or IVF or IUI for pregnancy
What are the anatomical relations to the pituitary gland?
-Located in sella turcica
-Has anterior and posterior lobes
-Anterior conntected to hypothalamus by hypothalamo-hypophyseal portal system (venous)
- posterior connected to hypothalamus by axons
- located above optic chiasm
- ICA and CN nuclei of III, IV, V1, V2, anf VI located laterally
What is the best imaging modality for the pituitary?
MRI (T1 and T2)
What size in a pituitary microadenoma?
< 1 cm
What are the 6 hormones made by the hypothalamus?
- CRH (ACTH)
- TRH (TSH)
- GnRH (LH, FSH)
- GHRH (GH)
- Somatostatin (inhibits GH)
- Dopamine (inhibits Prolactin)
What are the 6 hormones made by the anterior pituitary?
- ACTH (adrenal, cortisol)
- TSH (thyroid, fT4 and fT3)
- LH (gonads)
- FSH (gonads)
- GH (liver, IGF-1)
- prolactin (breast)
What hormones are released by the posterior pituitary?
Oxytocin (contracts uterus, releases milk)
Vasopressin
What hormone acts on V1 and V2 receptors and what effect do these have?
Vasopressin (AVP)
V1 = vasoconstriction
V2 = AQP2 insertion and water reabsorption collecting duct
What hormone is typically lost first following pituitary irradiation?
Growth hormone
What are clinical features of low ACTH?
Lethargy
Anorexia
Postural dizziness
What are clinical features of low GH?
Increased fat mass
Reduced muscle mass
Reduced vitality
Poor quality of life
Social isolation
How is ACTH deficiency diagnosed?
- Low early morning cortisol with low/N ACTH
- Failure to respond to short synacthen test (requires several weeks for adrenals to atrophy)
- insulin tolerance test (gold standard) with failure of cortisol to rise
What tests support a diagnosis of TSH deficiency?
Low fT4 and low/N TSH
What tests support LH/FSH deficiency?
- Man: low T, low/N LH and FSH
- pre menopause: low oestradiol, low/N LH and FSH
- post menopause: low/N LH and FSH (oestradiol already low)
What tests support GH deficiency?
- insulin tolerance test
- glucagon stimulation test
(both measure GH response to stimulation)
(IGF-1 not sensitive)
How is ACTH deficiency managed?
Replace with 10-20 mg hydrocortisone in 2-3 doses/day
(don’t need mineralocorticoid replacement)
What is sick day plan for ACTH deficiency?
- double or triple hydrocortisone
- 100 mg subcut or IM if cant swallow