Misleading diagnosis of renal artery stenosis by magnetic resonance angiography in a patient with primary aldosteronism.

A 24-year-old woman presented with severe hypertension. A diagnostic evaluation for secondary hypertension was undertaken. A duplex ultrasonography followed by a magnetic angiography suspected fibromuscular dysplasia. Unexpectedly, a contrast-enhanced angiography performed for renal angioplasty showed normal renal arteries. Primary aldosteronism was then evoked on the basis of decreased plasma renin and increased plasma aldosterone and aldosterone/renin ratio. After a CT-scan disclosed a left adrenal tumour, the patient underwent a left laparoscopic adrenalectomy. Pathological findings confirmed a benign adrenocortical adenoma. Blood pressure and aldosterone levels were normalized after surgery. Thus, clinicians should be aware of false-positive results of magnetic resonance angiography that could hide other causes of secondary hypertension

Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism among a population of obese men: Prevalence, risk factors and reversibility after weight loss induced by bariatric surgery

Background and aims: Obesity in men is frequently associated with low levels of testosterone, loss of libido and/or erectile dysfunction. Our goal was to estimate the prevalence of hypogonadism among obese men and to determine its risk factors and reversibility after bariatric surgery. Methods: Seventy-five obese men were studied at baseline. Metabolic and hormonal parameters were measured, body composition was assessed by bioelectrical impedance and hypogonadism was evaluated by the ADAM (Androgen Deficiency in Aging Males) questionnaire. Twenty-one patients were re-evaluated after bariatric surgery. Results: At baseline, 39% of obese men had hypotestosteronemia, while symptoms of androgen deficiency were present in 93%. Total Testosterone (TT) was inversely related to body mass index (BMI) (. P<. 0.05), waist circumference (. P=. 0.012) and body fat mass (. P=. 0.022). Bariatric surgery was associated with an increase in TT (. P=. 0.001) and decreases in estradiol (E2) (. P=. 0.008) and in the E2/TT ratio (. P=. 0.001). Conclusions: Low testosterone levels are frequently observed among morbidly obese men and are correlated with the degree of abdominal adiposity, but not strongly with the presence of sexual dysfunction. Bariatric surgery leads to normalized TT and to decreased E2 and E2/TT ratio, suggesting a role of excessive aromatization in the hypotestosteronemia associated with obesity

Effets à court et moyen terme d'un traitement par exénatide dans une cohorte de patients diabétiques de type 2: Résultats d'une étude multicentrique au sein du Réseau des diabétologues de l'UCL

Nous avons analysé les effets à court et moyen terme d'un traitement par exenatide chez des patients diabétiques de type 2 en échec d'une bithérapie antihyperglycémiante orale. Nous avons observé à 3 et 6 mois une diminution importante tant des taux de l'hémoglobine glycatée que du poids, confirmant la place de l'exenatide dans l'arsenal thérapeutique moderne

One-year metabolic outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with exenatide in routine practice

AIM: The study objective was to analyze, in everyday practice, the long-term metabolic effects of exenatide (for 9 and 12months) in patients with type 2 diabetes not responding to treatments with metformin and sulphonylurea at maximum dosages. METHODS: A total of 299 type 2 diabetics were recruited from 14 centres specializing in diabetes care across Belgium. Main study endpoints were changes in HbA(1c), weight and waist circumference, and tolerability and compliance. Two patient cohorts were analyzed for effectiveness, with data available at 9 (n=90) and 12 (n=94) months of follow-up. RESULTS: Significant decreases in HbA(1c) of -1.3% and -1.6% were observed in the 9- and 12-month cohorts, respectively (P<0.001). The decrease in HbA(1c) was greater in patients with higher baseline levels (P<0.001), and the response was independent of baseline weight, body mass index (BMI), age, gender and diabetes duration. A progressive reduction of weight (4.9kg) was also observed in the two cohorts at 9 and 12months (P<0.001), with greater weight loss in patients with higher baseline BMI (P=0.046) and in female subjects (P=0.025). Waist circumference also decreased from baseline to endpoints. A correlation was observed between reduction in HbA(1c) and weight loss (P=0.019). Side effects, mainly of gastrointestinal origin, were reported in 33% (93/284 patients in the safety cohort). The rate of hypoglycaemia was 3.5%. Treatment was discontinued in 27% of patients (n=77) mainly due to drug inefficacy (53%, n=41) or adverse events (26%, n=20), or both (8%, n=6). CONCLUSION: Exenatide leads to long-term improvement of glycaemic control as well as weight loss in a majority of patients not responding to combined oral drug therapy in real-world clinical practice. However, no baseline factors predictive of response could be identified. Exenatide can be considered an effective treatment option in such patients, including those with high baseline HbA(1c) and long duration of diabetes