Elevated IGF-1 with GH suppression after an oral glucose overload: incipient acromegaly or false-positive IGF-1?

ABSTRACT Objective To report the evolution of patients with a suggestive clinical scenario and elevated serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), but growth hormone (GH) suppression in the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), in whom acromegaly was not initially excluded. Subjects and methods Forty six patients with a suggestive clinical scenario, who had elevated IGF-1 (outside puberty and pregnancy) in two measurements, but GH < 0.4 µg/L in the OGTT, were selected. Five years after initial evaluation, the patients were submitted to clinical and laboratory (serum IGF-1) reassessment. Patients with persistently elevated IGF-1 were submitted to a new GH suppression test and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the pituitary. Results Four patients were lost to follow-up. During reassessment, 42 patients continued to show no “typical phenotype” or changes in physiognomy. Fifteen of the 42 patients had normal IGF-1. Among the 27 patients with persistently elevated IGF-1 and who were submitted to a new OGTT, GH suppression was confirmed in all. Two patients exhibited a lesion suggestive of microadenoma on pituitary MRI. In our interpretation of the results, acromegaly was ruled out in 40 patients and considered “possible” in only 2. Conclusion Our results show that even in patients with a suggestive clinical scenario and elevated IGF-1, confirmed in a second measurement and without apparent cause, acromegaly is very unlikely in the case of GH suppression in the OGTT.

Infusão de insulina subcutânea contínua em gestante com diabetes tipo 1: relato de caso e revisão da literatura / Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion in type 1 diabetic during pregnancy: case report and literature review

A gestação em portadoras de diabetes tipo 1 é alvo de múltiplas tentativas para o bom controle glicêmico desde o período pré-concepcional, com a terapia com infusão de insulina subcutânea contínua apresentando opção terapêutica adicional na tentativa de alcançar as metas glicêmicas. Apresentamos o caso de uma paciente com diabetes tipo 1, não controlada com múltiplas injeções diárias, cuja instalação da bomba de insulina ocorreu durante o segundo trimestre de gestação, com sucesso terapêutico.

The type 1 diabetic patient pregnancy is subjected to various attempts to obtain good glycemic control, since the pre-conception period throughout the gestation. Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) is a therapeutic tool to achieve the glycemic targets. Here it is presented the case of a Type 1 diabetic woman, who was not under multiple insulin daily injections therapy, and whose insulin therapy started on CSII during the second trimester of gestation, obtaining successful therapeutic outcome.

HELLP síndrome associada à síndrome de Cushing: relato de dois casos / HELLP syndrome associated to Cushing's syndrome: report of two cases

A gravidez associada à síndrome de Cushing (SC) é quadro raro e está relacionada com hipertensão arterial severa em 64,6 por cento dos casos, além de infertilidade e abortamento em 75 por cento das pacientes com SC. Quando ocorre a gravidez, a causa mais freqüente do hipercortisolismo é o adenoma adrenal produtor de cortisol. Uma das principais complicações da hipertensão arterial na gravidez é a HELLP síndrome. Os autores relatam dois casos de gestação em paciente portadora de síndrome de Cushing, que evoluíram com quadro súbito e severo de HELLP síndrome e conseqüente progressão para o óbito fetal. O primeiro caso foi ocasionado por adenoma adrenal e o segundo, por um carcinoma de supra-renal. A gestação associada à síndrome de Cushing predispõe a situações ameaçadoras à vida, como a HELLP síndrome, devendo-se dar atenção especial à paciente nesses casos. O diagnóstico precoce permite o tratamento específico em tempo hábil, tentando reduzir a alta morbi-mortalidade nesses casos.