Endocrinology Flashcards
primary hypopituitarism is a problem with the ____ itself
gland. eg destruction
secondary hypopituitarism is a problem with _____
pituitary gland or hypothalamus e.g. tumor
in primary hypoadrenalism ___ decreases and __ increases. ___ also decreases
cortisol
ACTH
aldosterone
(Primary hypoadrenalism = Addison’s disease)
describe secondary hypoadrenalism and its features
pituitary tumor damaging corticotrophs
- ACTH low
- cortisol low
- no effect on aldosterone
what happens to T4, T3 and TSH in secondary hypothyroidism?
all low
in primary hypothyroidism what happens to T3, T4 and TSH ?
T3 and T4 decrease
TSH increases
state 5 causes of hypopituitarism
- non-secreting pituitary adenoma
- sheehans syndrome
- pituitary apoplexy
- brain injury
- radiation
- infection, inflammation
- pituitary surgery
- congenital
Total loss of anterior and posterior pituitary function
= ?
panhypopituitarism
What are the results of radiation induced hypopituitarism?
GH and gonadotrophins most sensitive - reduction
Prolactin can increase after radiotherapy due to loss of dopamine
effect of low FSH/LH?
Reduced libido, Secondary amenorrhea, erectile dysfunction, reduced pubic hair
effect of low ACTH?
Fatigue, weight loss
effect of low TSH?
fatigue
effect of low prolactin?
inability to breastfeed
effect of low GH?
short stature in children
post-partum hypopituitarism secondly to blood loss during pregnancy is known as??
sheehans syndrome
state 4 symptoms of sheehans syndrome and the hormone(s) that cause it
- Difficulty breastfeeding or inability to breastfeed - prolactin deficiency
- Failure to resume menses - FSH and LH deficiency
- Cold intolerance - TSH deficiency
- Fatigue - ACTH, TSH and GH deficiency
Intro-pituitary hemorrhage of a pituitary Adenoma or less commonly infarction is known as?
pituitary apoplexy
pituitary apoplexy can be precipitated by __?
anticoagulants
state 3 key features of pituitary apoplexy
- Severe sudden onset headache
- Visual field defect - bitemporal hemianopia
- Cavernous sinus involvement may lead to diplopia and ptosis
(+ low pituitary hormones)
how do you diagnose hypopituitarism?
- Give insulin injection (insulin stress test) making blood glucose go low. This causes the stress hormones, GH and ACTH to be released.these hormones raise blood glucose. (cortisol measured)
Hypoglycaemia (<2.2mM) = ‘stress’ - Give TRH to stimulate TSH release
- Give GnRH to stimulate FSH and LH release
If the release of hormones in each case is slight or not present = hypopituitarism/problem with the pituitary
what is used to replace each hormone in hypopituitarism
ACTH - replace with CORTISOL - hydrocortisone or prednisolone
TSH - replace with thyroxine
GH - synthetic GH
cant replace prolactin
FSH & LH - testosterone/ oestrogen + progesterone if no fertility required. if required give FSH and LH instead
if unwell/ has fever , what must patients with ACTH deficiency do? why?
double steroid dose
patient at risk of an adrenal crisis
what is an adrenal crisis? what are the features?
low cortisol
- postural hypotension, nausea, weakness
- abdominal pain, hypogylceamia
- can result in collapse/ death
Woman with bitemporal hemianopia. Pituitary MRI shows a pituitary tumour. vision. 9AM cortisol 650 nmol/L (>350) fT4 8.1 pmol/L (9-23) TSH 0.2 mU/L (0.3 – 4.2) What is the diagnosis?
Low fT4. And low TSH.
= secondary hypothyroidism
state 3 differentials for sheehans syndrome
- post-natal depression
- anemia
- Primary Hypothyroidism -after pregnancy effects on immunity - autoimmune disorders may be triggered
identify the organum vasculosum & subfornical organ on a diagram of the brain. what do they contain?
osmoreceptors
How do osmoreceptors regulate AVP
- Increase in extracellular Na+
- Water flows out of osmoreceptor in organum vasculosum and subfornical organ
- The receptor shrinks leading to receptor firing
- AVP release from supraoptic nucleus
- Osmoreceptors also cause thirst
- Reduced urine volume and plasma conc
How does non-osmotic stimulation of vasopressin occur?
Reduction in volume/ Hemorrhage - less stretch - less inhibition of atrial stretch receptors in RA - more AVP release
give two reasons why AVP release is good following hemorrhage
- vasocontrictor via V1 receptor
- helps reasorb water
state the symptoms of diabetes insipidus
polyuria, polydipsia, nocturia
____ is a condition where there is a lack of vasopressin
CDI
state causes of CDI
Pituitary tumour, trauma, autoimmune
state the findings you would expect in CDI
Reduction in Vasopressin/ADH
Reduction in urine Osmolality
increase in plasma osmolality - hypernatraemia
____ is a condition where there is a lack of response to circulating ADH
nephrogenic DI
State causes of NDI
- mutation in V2 receptor
- lithium
state the findings you would expect in NDI
Increase in Vasopressin/ADH
Reduction in urine Osmolality
increase in plasma osmolality - hypernatraemia
unlike DI, plasma osmolality is ____ in psychogenic polydipsia
low
what goes on the x and y axis in a water deprivation test?
y axis = urine osmolality
x axis = hours of water deprivation
How do we distinguish between cranial and nephrogenic DI?
Give Synthetic vasopressin/ desmopressin/ddAP
CDI - urine concentrates
how does desmopressin work?
why is it used instead of AVP?
- a selective V2 receptor agonist
- AVP is unstable, would stimulate V1 receptors in blood vessels, is IV drug
drug for NDI?
Hydrochlorothiazide
features of SIADH?
- too much ADH
- reduced urine output
state 4 causes of SIADH
- CNS •Head injury, stroke, tumour,
- Pulmonary disease - pneumonia, bronchiectasis
- Ectopic ADH - e.g small cell lung cancer
- Drugs - carbamazepine, cyclophosphamide, SSRIS
- Idiopathic
how do you treat SIADH?
Restrict fluid vasopressin antagonist (Vaptan)
what tests should be carried out when you have the following differentials:
- Diabetes mellitus , diabetes insipidus, psychogenic polydipsia,
glucose
sodium levels
random plasma and urine osmolality
water deprivation test
State the 5 types of anterior pituitary cells and the result of a functioning pituitary tumor.
Somatotrophs - Acromegaly lactotrophs - prolactinoma thyrotrophs - TSHoma gonadotrophs - gonadotrophinoma corticotrophs - cushings disease
serum prolactin may be ___ due to a non-functioning pituitary adenoma
raised.
dopamine cant travel down the stalk
serum prolactin may be ___ due to a non-functioning pituitary adenoma because ____
raised.
dopamine cant travel down the stalk
effects of hyperprolactineamia?
- Shut down of GnRH axis (oligo-amenhhorea, low libido, infertility)
- galactorrhoea
describe the mechanism by which hyperprolactineamia causes its effects
prolactin binds to kisspeptin neurons in hypothalamus
inhibits kisspeptin release
decrease in GnRH, FSH, LH, T, Oest
____ is the most common functioning pituitary adenoma
prolactinoma
state 3 pysiological causes of elevated prolactin
Pregnancy/breastfeeding
Stress: exercise, seizure, venepuncture
Nipple/chest wall stimulation
Excluding prolactinomas, state 3 pathological causes of elevated prolactin
- Primary Hypothyroidism - Elevated TRH can increase prolactin
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome
- Chronic renal failure
____ are an iatrogenic cause of elevated prolactin
antipsychotics (also oestrogens/OCP)
How do you determine a “true” elevation in serum prolactin?
no diurnal variation in serum prolactin and no effect from food
If a patient has a mild elevation in prolactin, no clinical features consistent with prolactinoma and you have reviewed medication list, what else could be causing elevation?
- macroprolactin - complex of monomeric prolactin and IgG
2. stress of venepuncture- exclude by a cannulated prolactin series.
How do you investigate a prolactinoma?
mRI once you’ve ruled out other causes
treatment for prolatinoma?
dopamine receptors AGONIST - binds to D2 receptors - CABERGOLINE
state 4 features of acromegaly
- Sweatiness, headache
- coarsening of facial features
- increased hand and feet size
- hypertension
- impaired glucose tolerance
- macroglossia
- obstructive sleep apneoa
how do you diagnose acromegaly?
- elevated serum IGF-1
- Oral glucose tolerance test - Failed suppression of GH following oral glucose load
- +ve MRI
- prolactin may be raised due to co-secretion
how do you treat acromegaly?
- first line = surgical- trans-sphenoidal pituitary surgery
- somatostatin analogues - octreotide
- dopamine agonists
Distinguish between Cushing’s syndrome and Cushing’s disease
Too much cortisol for any reason = Cushing’s syndrome
Too much cortisol due to corticotroph Adenoma = cushings disease
state 2 ACTH independent causes of Cushings syndrome
Taking steroids by mouth (common)
•Adrenal adenoma or carcinoma
How do you investigate someone with Cushing’s DISEASE?
First establish cushings syndrome:
- elevated 24 hour urine free cortisol
- elevated late night glucose
- Failure to suppress cortisol after LOW dose oral dexamethasone - increased cortisol secretion
then establish cushings DISEASE
- ACTH will be high
- High does dexamethosone = cortisol suppression
+ve pituitary MRI
describe symptoms of hyperthyroidism
- weight loss despite increased appetite
- diarrhoea
- tachycardia, palpitations, tremors and lid lag (sensitised Beta adrenoreceptors)
- heat intolerance
- hypercalceamia (T3 directly stimulates bone resorption)
- pretibial myxedema in graves disease
state 3 presentations in a patient with thyroid storm
- delirium
- fever
- tachyarrhythmia (cause of death)
- jaundice (hepatocellular dysfunction)
- cardiac failure
thyroid storm is extreme hyperthyroidism. It is hyperthyroidism that worsens in the setting of acute stress such as ___, ____, or _____.
trauma
infection
surgery
state 3 causes of primary hyperthyroidism
Graves Disease
Toxic multinodular goiter/ Plummer’s disease
Viral thyroiditis/ de Quervains
the most common cause of hyperthyroidism is?
graves disease
describe the pathology of graves disease
antibodies bind to TSH Receptor
TSH levels itself are low
- smooth goitre
- pretibial myxeodema
- exophthalamos
a thyroid scan in Graves disease will show…..?
smooth iodine uptake
all black
describe the pathophysiology of toxic multinodular goitre
Benign adenoma that is overactive at making thyroxine.
Tumor grows whist thyroid gland shrinks
a thyroid scan in toxic multinodular goitre shows…?
tumor taking up the iodine. not smooth uptake
describe the pathophysiology of Viral thyroiditis/ de Quervain
- Virus attacks the thyroid gland
- Thyroid stops making thyroxine and makes viruses instead
state some features of de Quervain
- pain
- dysphagia
- hyperthyroidism followed by hypothyroidism
- pyrexia
what would a thyroid scan in de Quervains look like?
- blank
- no iodine uptake as no thyroxine
state 3 different treatments for hyperthyroidism
- thyroidectomy
- radioiodine
- drugs
state 3 classes of drugs used to treat hyperthyroidism
- thionamides
- potassium iodide
- beta blockers - e.g. propanolol
state 2 thionamide drugs
what are their mechanisms?
PTU (propylthiouracil) and carbimazole
Inhibits the enzyme thyroid peroxidase and hence T3 and T4 synthesis
what is a key side effect of thionamides?
agranulocytosis
state 2 uses of potassium iodide in hyperthyroidism
what is its mechanism
- Use to prepare patients for surgery - thyroid atrophies and is less vascularized during surgery
- Use during thyroid storm
inhibits thyroid peroxidase
what are the causes of primary adrenal insufficiency?
chronic causes include TB and Addison Disease