Hyperglycemia in Hospital: Diagnosis, Classification, Clinical Implications and Treatment

Hyperglycemia is a well-recognized risk factor for hospital-related complications, prolonged stay in the hospital and even mortality. The patients with in-hospital hyperglycemia may be categorized into three groups: i) Patients who have been diagnosed as having diabetes mellitus (DM) before admission; ii) Patients with newly diagnosed DM; and iii) Patients with stress hyperglycemia. The release of stress hormones, such as cortisol, catecholamines, glucagon, growth hormone and the related acceleration in gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis, medications used for the treatment of primary diseases, such as glucocorticoids and vasopressors, are all claimed to be responsible for the development of in-hospital hyperglycemia. Glucose normalization with insulin therapy has been demonstrated to significantly decrease the morbidity and mortality in all the three groups. Therefore, it is recommended to monitor blood glucose levels for all hospitalized patients irrespective of the accompanying DM diagnosis

Stubborn hiccups as a sign of massive apoplexy in a naive acromegaly patient with pituitary macroadenoma

Pituitary apoplexy (PA) may very rarely present with hiccups. A 32-year-old man with classical acromegaloid features was admitted with headache, nausea, vomiting and stubborn hiccups. Pituitary magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated apoplexy of a macroadenoma with suprasellar extension abutting the optic chiasm. Plasma growth hormone (GH) levels exhibited suppression (below <1 ng/mL) at all time points during GH suppression test with 75 g oral glucose. After treatment with corticosteroid agents, he underwent transsphenoidal pituitary surgery and hiccups disappeared postoperatively. The GH secretion potential of the tumor was clearly demonstrated immunohistochemically. We conclude that stubborn hiccups in a patient with a pituitary macroadenoma may be a sign of massive apoplexy that may result in hormonal remission

Mean platelet volume in Graves' disease: A sign of hypermetabolism rather than autoimmunity?

Objective: To evaluate the impact of mean platelet volume (MPV) on predicting disease course among patients with Graves' disease (GD). Methods: This retrospective study was performed between 2013-2016 at the Outpatient Endocrinology Clinic of Baskent University Faculty of Medicine, Adana hospital on 65 patients with GD. Among participants, 30 cases experienced thyrotoxicosis again during the first six months after discontinuing anti-thyroid drug (ATD) sessions that had been carried out for at least 12 months prior to stopping (Relapse group). We also observed 35 patients who exhibited normal thyroid functions within six months following ATD withdrawal (Remission group). MPV levels and thyroid function tests were recorded and total duration of ATD therapy was calculated for all participants. Results: The mean MPV level that was measured at the time of drug withdrawal did not differ between groups, being 8.0 +/- 1.2 fL in the Relapse group vs. 8.0 +/- 1.0 fL in the Remission group (p=0.81). However, we found that the relapse MPV was higher than the withdrawal MPV in the Relapse group (9.2 +/- 1.3 fL) than it was in the Remission group (8.0 +/- 1.2 fL, p=0.00). Conclusions: Higher relapse MPV in Relapse group but similar MPV levels in both groups at ATD withdrawal may be attributed to hypermetabolism or hyperthyroidism rather than autoimmunity of GD

Body Mass Index below Obesity Threshold Implies Similar Cardiovascular Risk among Various Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Phenotypes

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the cardiometabolic risk factors in different polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) phenotypes. Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed between 2010 and 2011. Eighty-nine patients with PCOS and 25 age- and weight-matched healthy controls were included in the study. Patients were grouped using the Rotterdam 2003 criteria as: group 1, oligomenorrhea and/or anovulation (ANOV) and hyperandrogenemia (HA) and/or hyperandrogenism (n = 23); group 2, ANOV and polycystic ovaries (PCO; n = 22); group 3, HA and PCO (n = 22); group 4, ANOV, HA and PCO (n = 22); group 5, controls (n = 25). Laboratory blood tests for diagnosis and cardiometabolic risk assessments were performed. Insulin resistance (IR) was calculated in all patients with the homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR) formula. An euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp test was performed on 5 randomly selected cases in each subgroup, making 25 cases in total, and indicated as the 'M' value (mg/kg/min), which is the total body glucose disposal rate. Results: The mean BMl values of the groups were: group 1, 26.1 +/- 5.3; group 2, 27.9 +/- 5.2; group 3, 24.3 +/- 4.2; group 4, 27.9 +/- 7.5; group 5, 24.7 +/- 5.2 (p > 0.05). There were no differences in the lipid profile, plasma glucose, HOMA-IR, insulin and M values between the groups (p > 0.05). Phenotypes with oligomenorrhea/anovulation (groups 1, 2 and 4) were more obese than group 3 (p = 0.039). Conclusions: The cardiometabolic risk profile was similar among the PCOS subgroups. This finding could be attributed to the mean BMl values, which, being below 30, were not within the obesity range. Obesity appeared to be an important determinant of high cardiovascular risk in PCOS. (C) 2015 S. Karger AG, Base

Hounsfield unit value has null effect on thyroid nodules at F-18-FDG PET/CT scans

Objective: Detection rate of thyroid nodules is increasing with the use of new imaging modalities, especially in screening for malignancies. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT)-positive thyroid nodules should be differentiated for malignancy to avoid unnecessary operations and further follow-up. Most trials evaluate the role of SUVmax, but there is no definitive information about the utility of Hounsfield unit (HU) values for prediction of malignancy. This study aimed to evaluate the HU values beside SUVmax for detecting malignancy risk of PET/CT-positive thyroid nodules. Subjects and methods: Results of 98 cancer patients who had fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) for thyroid nodules detected on PET/CT between January 2011 and December 2015 were assessed. The FNABs and surgical pathological results were recorded. Results: FNABs revealed benign results in 32 patients (32.7%), malignant in 18 (18.4%), non-diagnostic in 20 (20.4%), and indeterminate in 28 (28.5%). Twenty-four patients underwent thyroidectomy. The mean HU values were not significantly different in benign and malignant nodules (p = 0.73). However, the mean SUVmax was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in malignant ones. Area under curve (AUC) was 0.824 for SUVmax; the cut-off value was over 5.55 (p < 0.001), with 80% sensitivity, 84.5% specificity. Conclusions: Our current study demonstrated that HU value does not add any additional valuable information for discriminating between malignant and benign thyroid nodules. We also defined a SUVmax cut-off value of 5.55 for malignant potential of thyroid nodules detected on PET/CT

Urinary tract infection in diabetes: Susceptible organisms and antibiogram patterns in an outpatient clinic of a tertiary health care center

We aimed to determine the influence of diabetes mellitus (DM) on uropathogens and antibiotic resistance pattern in urinary tract infection (UTI) in our center. Three hundred fifty-five DM patients and 165 non-DM patients with UTI were included in this retrospective study. Urine samples were processed in the laboratory following standard protocol. Mean age was higher in DM group (63.9 ± 12.4 vs 59.6 ± 17.3 years, respectively, P = 0.001). Females showed much higher UTI prevalence in both groups (85.6% in DM vs 70.3% in non-DM group, P = 0.000). Mean HbA1c level on admission was 9.3% (78 mmol/mol). Mean duration of DM was 13.9 ± 8.5 yr. E.coli was the predominant uropathogen for both (67.3% in DM and 61.8% in non-DM group). Most isolated microorganisms were sensitive to nitrofurantoin (87.0% in DM, vs 83.6% in non-DM group, P = 0.265). Mean DM duration of higher than 10,5 years showed greatest risk of multidrug resistance (MDR) (AUC = 0.58, sensitivity of 63.7% and specificity of 50%, P = 0.019). Diabetic patients with UTI had poor glycemic control and long-standing DM. Nitrofurantoin was the most appropriate antimicrobial agent for empirical use. The MDR was higher in patients with DM lasting longer than 10.5 years. [Med-Science 2019; 8(4.000): 881-6