Hipertiroidismo facticio por ingesta de suplementos herbales para reducción de peso / Factitious hyperthyroidism due to intake of herbal supplements for weight reduction

Resumen La tirotoxicosis facticia se caracteriza por la ingesta de un exceso de hormonas tiroideas o derivados de las mismas de forma intencional o accidental. Describimos 6 casos clínicos de pacientes que desarrollaron tirotoxicosis y efectos adversos con la ingesta de suplementos de herbales de venta libre para descenso de peso. Actualmente existe mucha publicidad sobre suplementos que "ayudan al descenso de peso", los cuales son de venta libre y distribuidos ampliamente en tiendas de dietéticas o por internet por lo cual es habitual tener pacientes que los consumen, sin que muchos reparen en sus posibles riesgos. En caso de sospechar un hipertiroidismo facticio debemos solicitar tiroglobulina y anticuerpos anti tiroglobulina así como centellograma tiroideo o curva de captación. Para realizar el diagnóstico diferencial entre ingesta de tiroxina (T4) o triiodotironina (T3) o sus derivados debemos solicitar medición de T4 y T3. En caso de ingesta de T4, la T4 y T3 se encontrarán elevadas, pero en caso de ingesta de triodotironina o sus derivados la T4 se encontrará descendida con una T3 elevada.

Abstract Factitious thyrotoxicosis is characterized by the intentional or accidental intake of excess thyroid hormones or their derivatives. We describe 6 cases of patients who developed thyrotoxicosis and adverse effects by weight-reducing herbal medicines. Currently there is a lot of publicity about supplements that "help to lose weight", which are over-the-counter and widely distributed in health food stores or online, which is why it is com mon to have patients who consume them, without many noticing their possible risks. If factitious hyperthyroidism is suspected, we should request thyroglobulin and anti-thyroglobulin tests, as well as a thyroid scan or uptake curve. To make the differential diagnosis between intake of thyroxine (T4) or triiodothyronine (T3) or its deriva tives, we must request the measurement of T4 and T3. In case of ingestion of T4, T4 and T3 will be elevated, but in case of ingestion of triodothyronine or its derivatives, T4 will be decreased with elevated T3.

Endocrinopatías por inmunoterapia oncológica / Endocrinopathies by oncological immunotherapy

La relación entre inmunidad y cáncer es compleja. Las células tumorales desarrollan mecanismos de evasión a las respuestas del sistema inmunitario. Esta capacidad permite su supervivencia y crecimiento. La inmunoterapia ha transformado el tratamiento oncológico mejorando la respuesta inmunitaria contra la célula tumoral. Esta se basa en el bloqueo de los puntos de control inmunitario mediante anticuerpos monoclonales contra la molécula inhibidora CTLA-4 (antígeno 4 del linfocito T citotóxico [CTLA-4]) y la proteína 1 de muerte celular programada y su ligando (PD-1/PD-L1). Aunque los inhibidores de los puntos de control inmunitario (ICIs) son fármacos bien tolerados, tienen un perfil de efectos adversos conocido como eventos adversos inmunorrelacionados (EAI). Estos afectan varios sistemas, incluyendo las glándulas endocrinas. Los eventos adversos endocrinos más frecuentes son la disfunción tiroidea, la insuficiencia hipofisaria, la diabetes mellitus autoinmune y la insuficiencia suprarrenal primaria. El creciente conocimiento de estos efectos adversos endocrinos ha llevado a estrategias de tratamiento efectivo con el reemplazo hormonal correspondiente. El objetivo de esta revisión es reconocer la incidencia de estas nuevas endocrinopatías, la fisiopatología, su valoración clínica y el manejo terapéutico. (AU)

The relationship between immunity and cancer is complex. Tumor cells develop evasion mechanisms to the immune system responses. This ability allows their survival and progression. Immunotherapy has transformed cancer treatment by improving the immune response against tumor cells. This is achieved by blocking immune checkpoints with monoclonal antibodies against cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) and programmed cell death protein 1 and its ligand (PD-1 / PD-L1). Although the immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are well tolerated drugs, they have a profile of adverse effects known as immune-related adverse events (irAES). These involve diverse systems, including the endocrine glands. The most frequent endocrine immune-related adverse events are thyroid and pituitary dysfunction, autoimmune diabetes mellitus and primary adrenal insufficiency. The increasing knowledge of these irAES has led to effective treatment strategies with the corresponding hormonal replacement. The objective of this review is to recognize the incidence of these new endocrinopathies, the physiopathology, their clinical evaluation, and therapeutic management. (AU)

Incidence and prevalence of clinically relevant pituitary adenomas: retrospective cohort study in a Health Management Organization in Buenos Aires, Argentina

ABSTRACT Objectives The main purpose of this study was to estimate the incidence rate and prevalence of clinically relevant pituitary adenomas (PAs) within the Hospital Italiano Medical Care Program (HIMCP), a well-defined population of 150,000 members living in the urban and suburban area of the city of Buenos Aires. We defined clinically relevant PAs as those associated with endocrine dysfunction and/or mass effect. Subjects and methods A retrospective open cohort study was conducted, including all members of the HIMCP over 18 years old, with active memberships during the period of the study, from January 1st 2003, to January 1, 2014. The incidence rates (IRs) were standardized (SIR) to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2000 standard population and were expressed per 100,000 members/year. Prevalence was estimated at January 1, 2014, and was expressed per 100,000 persons. The clinical records have been electronically managed since 2001. All lab and imaging studies were done in-house. Results The overall SIR was 7.39/100,000/year (95% CI 4.47-10.31). Female patients had a specific IR significantly higher than male patients (5.85 vs.1.54) and represented 73% of the affected members. Regarding tumor size, 61.4% were microadenomas, and the mean age at diagnosis was 46.4 years. Prolactinomas had the highest SIR (5.41), followed by acromegaly (Acro) and non-functioning adenomas (NFAs) with overlapping 95% CIs (0.44-1.41 and 0.31-0.99, respectively). Microprolactinomas were more frequent in female (72.6%) (p < 0.01) and younger members (38 vs.60 years; p < 0.04). The overall prevalence rate was 97.76/100,000. Prolactinomas had the highest prevalence (56.29), followed by NFAs (21.48), Acro (14.07) and CD (5.93). Conclusion Our results demonstrate that clinically relevant PAs are more common than usually suspected, especially prolactinomas and growth-hormone secreting PAs. These data highlight the need to increase the awareness of PAs, thereby enabling early diagnosis and treatment.