Validation of salivary cortisol among Filipino adults suspected with Cushing's syndrome

BACKGROUND: Cushing's syndrome is a state of hypercortisolism manifesting non-specific clinical; features where its diagnosis entails biochemical confirmation of cortisol excess. this study aims to validate the efficacy of midnight salivary cortisol as a screening test for Filipino suspected with Cushing's syndrome and determine the cut-off value applicable in the local setting. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of Filipinos suspected with endogenous Cushing's syndrome seen at a tertiary hospital. Modification of plasma cortisol measured by RIA was used to measure salivary cortisol. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive curve, negative predictive curve and area under the screening tests were estimated and compared using 48 hour low dose dexamethasone suppression test (LDDST) as the reference standard. RESULTS: The determine cut-off value (? 7.0 nmol/L) for salivary cortisol showed a relatively high sensitivity (91.3%) and specificity (89.5%) in detecting cases suspected of Cushing's syndrome. One milligram (1mg) dexamethasone suppression test had the highest sensitivity (100%) but had the lowest specificity (68.4%) as a screening test. The area under the curve of the three diagnostic test appeared to be similar when compared with the low dose dexamethasone suppression test. CONCLUSIONS: Using a cut-off value of 7nmol/L, local utility if late-night salivary cortisol has a high sensitivity and specificity in detecting Cushing's syndrome. It has a similar efficiency with 24-hour urine free cortisol and 1mg dexamethasone suppression test as a screening test for Cushing's syndrome. Salivary cortisol may be considered as a valid initial screening test for Filipinos suspected of cushing's syndrome.

Prevalence of thyroid dysfunction among asymptomatic elderly Filipinos at the Philippine General Hospital / Journal of the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies

The elderly are a peculiar group in terms of health management, as they often present with non-specific complaints which are challenging to interpret and may not present with the usual clinical picture of a disease. Objective. The study aims to determine the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction among asymptomatic, elderly Filipinos seen at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). Methodology. Subjects aged 60 years and older seeking out-patient medical consult for non-thyroidal illness at the PGH were recruited. Patients with known thyroid or pituitary disease, previous thyroid or pituitary surgery, intake of medications known to affect thyroid hormone levels and critical illness were excluded. Fasting blood sugar (FBS), lipid profile, free thyroxine (FT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and anti-thyroperoxidase (anti-TPO) levels were taken. Based on FT4 and TSH levels, subjects were classified as overt hypothyroid, subclinical hypothyroid, euthyroid, subclinical hyperthyroid, or overt hyperthyroid. Results. One hundred eighty subjects were recruited, of whom 152 (84%) were female. Hypertension was the most common comorbidity (58.33%), followed by diabetes (36.67%). One hundred sixty-two (90%) were euthyroid, 12 (6.7%) subclinical hypothyroid, 4 (2.22%) subclinical hyperthyroid, and two (1.11%) overtly hyperthyroid. No one was overtly hypothyroid. There was a trend toward increasing prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, low HDL, obesity and overall cardiovascular risk among those with subclinical hypothyroidism. Conclusion. Subclinical hypothyroidism was the most prevalent thyroid dysfunction among asymptomatic elderly included in the study.