Is mild gestational hyperglycaemia associated with maternal and neonatal complications? The Diagest Study.

AIMS: To evaluate the maternal and neonatal complications rates of mild gestational hyperglycaemia (MGH) compared to a control group in France. METHODS: A systematic screening by a 50-g glucose challenge test was offered to all women between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation in 15 maternity units. If the 50-g glucose challenge test was > or = 7.2 mmol/l, a 100-g 3-h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed. MGH (n = 131) was defined by one abnormal value on the 3-h OGTT (Carpenter and Coustan criteria). The control group (n = 108) was defined by a 50-g glucose challenge test below 7.2 mmol/l. Women with MGH received no treatment or specific advice during the pregnancy. Large for gestational age (LGA) was defined by a birth weight of at least the 90th percentile on French standard growth curves. RESULTS: Women with MGH were older than the controls (28.8 (5.8) vs. 27.0 (5.2); P < 0.05) and had a higher body mass index (24.8 (4.8) vs. 23.0 (3.9); P < 0.01). The rate of pregnancy-induced hypertension and Caesarean section were not different between the MGH and control group. The rate of LGA was significantly higher in the MGH group than the control group (22.1% vs. 11.4%; P < 0.05). After adjustment for confounding factors of macrosomia (pre-pregnancy body mass index > 27, maternal age > 35, multiparity and educational level), there was a persistent relationship between LGA and MGH (odds ratio 2.50; 95% confidence interval (1.16-5.40); P < 0.05). MGH was more frequently associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcome than in the controls (53.4% vs. 28.7%; P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that the increased rate of adverse maternal and fetal outcome, especially LGA, was associated with untreated mild gestational hyperglycaemia women compared to a control group. This link to lower degrees of hyperglycaemia during pregnancy is independent of confounding factors.

[Diabetes before pregnancy, apropos of 143 cases]. / Diabète antérieur à la grossesse, à propos de 143 observations.

OBJECTIVE: The authors want to appraise the management of diabetes prior to pregnancy in a local population treated in the Lille University Hospital. METHOD: This is a retrospective study of 143 pregnancies occurring in 111 patients with diabetes prior to pregnancy, between 1987 and 1997, in the Obstetrics Department at the Lille University Hospital. RESULTS: Only one-third of the patients benefited from preconception management; the stability of diabetes during the first trimester was satisfactory in 50% of the cases. The maternal complications are represented by preeclampsia (20%), metabolic complications specific to diabetes (hypoglycemia, ketoacidosis), the aggravation or the emergence of a retinopathy (10%) and polyhydramnios (19%). Concerning the termination of the pregnancies, of the 147 fetuses (four twin pregnancies), 140 newborns in good health, two neonatal deaths, three in-utero deaths and two therapeutic terminations of pregnancy were observed. The fetal malformation rate was 9.5% (14 cases/147). The cesarean section rate was 63%, whereas the fetal macrosomatia rate was 35%, with dystocia in 26% of the deliveries (outside of planned cesareans). Three shoulder dystocia were observed (two requiring the Jacquemier's maneuver and one with transitory plexus brachial palsy for a newborn weighing 5,650 g). CONCLUSION: The authors conclude that preconception management (one-third of the patients in this series) and management of during the first trimester of pregnancy (50% in this series) was insufficient. This fact is perhaps due to the confusion, for many practitioners, with gestational diabetes, which is a very mediatized affection, though much less severe for the fetus and mother.

Normal hemodynamic and coagulation responses to 1-deamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin in a case of lithium-induced nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. Results of treatment by a prostaglandin synthesis inhibitor (indomethacin).

The effect of 1-deamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin (DDAVP) on mean arterial pressure, pulse rate (PR), plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma factor VIIIc and von Willebrand factor were studied in a case of persistent lithium-induced nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (LINDI). 20% decrease in MAP, 22% increase in PR, 100% in PRA, and release of coagulation factors (2- to 3-fold) were noticed after infusion of 0.3 micrograms/kg DDAVP. Urinary prostaglandin (PG) E2 were enhanced. The treatment of this LINDI by PG synthesis inhibitor (PSI) combined with a low osmotic diet (LOD) led to a 51% fall in urine volume, 57% in free water clearance and 75% in sodium clearance. Urinary osmolality rose by 42% but remained low, probably in part because of the LOD. Urinary PGE2 was about one fifth of the initial high value. The results argue for (1) an end-organ resistance to DDAVP confined to the kidneys in LINDI and (2) an effectiveness of indomethacin combined with an LOD.

Thyrotropin binding inhibitory immunoglobulin (TBII) and thyroid diseases using ROC analysis.

At attempt to detect the auto-immune origin of hyperthyroidism may be made by measuring thyrotropin binding inhibitory immunoglobulin (TBII) which uses the antibodies ability to inhibit labelled TSH binding to the TSH receptor. This study was carried out on 196 patients of which 128 had autoimmune hyperthyroidism and 68 another thyroid disease. Construction of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves allowed us to show the quality of the assay. This method, according to the prevalence of the disease, helped to determine the ideal cut-off of the assay. This cut-off was between 13.5 and 7.5% for prevalences ranging between 10 and 80%. For a 9% cut-off, which corresponded to the group studied, we observed 87.5% sensitivity and 87% specificity. Existence of false positives and false negatives was linked to the assay method which only informed us about the occupation of the TSH binding site and not its physiological activity. However, we concluded this easy to perform assay is a good test for the diagnosis of autoimmune hyperthyroidism.

[Physiology of the thyroid during pregnancy. Various exploratory tests]. / Physiologie de la thyroïde pendant la grossesse. Moyens d'exploitation.

In spite of frequent hypertrophy of the gland, the thyroid function remains normal during pregnancy. Of course, the total thyroid hormones level bound to TBG (Thyroxine Binding Globulin) increases regularly as a result of hyperestrogenism, but the level of the free fractions of the thyroid hormones (FT3, FT4) which is normal during the 1st trimester tends to decrease regularly during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. There is a moderate decrease of the TSH level during pregnancy. The placenta plays a major role in the synthesis and metabolism of the thyroid function hormones. TSH, T3, T4 and thyroglobulin cannot cross the placental barrier while TRH, iodine, and thyrostimulating immunoglobins can. Among medications, thyroid hormones do not cross the placental barrier contrary to synthetic anti-thyroid preparations (SAT), lithium and beta-blockers. Therefore, this should be taken into consideration in the treatment of dysthyroidisms, knowing that the thyroid gland of the fetus becomes functional at 12 weeks: the secretion of fetal T4 and TSH is present as early as the 18-20th week. The thyroid gland of the fetus has no auto-regulation mechanism and the fetus adjust his hormone secretion according to the iodine environment.

[Postpartum thyroiditis. 31 cases]. / Les thyroïdites du post-partum. 31 cas.

Postpartum thyroiditis. 31 cases. Between 1977 and 1986, 29 women consulted in three internal medicine and endocrinology departments for clinical disorders which could be ascribed to 31 episodes of thyroiditis developed within 9 months of giving birth. Thyroiditis was diagnosed clinically on the basis of acute diffuse (11 cases) or nodular (7 cases) goitre formation, signs of dysthyroidism (16 cases) revealed by menstrual disturbances and/or galactorrhoea (11 cases). A thyrotoxic episode was observed in 9 patients; it was either without sequelae (5 cases) of followed by transient hypothyroidism (4 cases). In other patients transient hypothyroidism was observed in 11 cases and permanent hypothyroidism in 5 cases. Six patients showed no sign of dysthyroidism, and the diagnosis was made by immunological, cytological and/or histological examination of the thyroid gland. Circulating anti-thyroid antibodies were present in two-thirds of the patients. The results of radioisotope scanning varied according to the stage of the disease. In these patients, only the absence of goitre was predictive, in 4 out of 5 cases, of subsequent permanent hypothyroidism; in all other patients the prognosis was highly favourable, even without specific treatment.

[New elements in the diagnosis and treatment of thyrotropic pituitary adenomas with hyperthyroidism]. / Eléments nouveaux dans le diagnostic et le traitement des adénomes hypophysaires thyréotropes avec hyperthyroïdie.

Although thyrotropin-secreting pituitary tumors are rather exceptional, the authors have studied 5 new cases from 1982 to 1988. This apparently growing pattern is due to a more accurate diagnosis because of new laboratory measurements: --Immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) of ultra-sensitive thyrotropin (TSH); --Radioimmunoassay (RIA) of free alpha subunit of TSH; --Molar ratio of free alpha subunit/TSH before and after TRH stimulation; --Morphologic assessment of pituitary adenoma by computed tomographic scanning and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; --Characterization of thyrotropin-secreting cells by immunohistochemical technics and identification of secretion products in cultured cells. The authors illustrate these new topics with a case report harboring a partial resistance to thyroid hormones. A 6-month treatment with somatostatin analogue (SMS 201.995) is reported, before transphenoidal ablation of the adenoma.

[Blood amylase and lipase in diabetic ketoacidosis]. / Amylasémie et lipasémie au cours de la céto-acidose diabétique.

The relation between increase of amylasaemia and increase of lipasaemia was studied during ketoacidosis in 31 insulin-dependent diabetics. The effects of metabolic disturbances on amylase production during the acute phase of ketoacidosis were also evaluated. The greatest increase of amylasaemia was observed after 24 hours in 17 cases (55%), with return to normal values after 3 to 7 days. Amylasuria was closely correlated with amylasaemia (r = 0.7; P less than 0.01). No correlation was found between hyperamylasaemia and the degree of ketoacidosis, but there was a correlation between plasma osmolality and hyperamylasaemia (r = 0.44; P less than 0.02). The increase of lipasaemia, considered more specific of pancreatic damage, was closely correlated with that of amylasaemia (r = 0.63: P less than 0.01). The electrolyte disturbances associated with ketoacidosis are responsible for cellular damage with release of enzymes in many tissues. The hyperamylasaemia consecutive to pancreatic damage might be of similar origin and aggravated by splanchnic hypoperfusion.

Clinical and biological phenotypes in late-onset 21-hydroxylase deficiency.

We analyzed data from 20 patients with late-onset 21-hydroxylase deficiency (LOHD). Three clinical phenotypes could be distinguished among the 18 women. Seven (39%) presented with clinical features suggesting polycystic ovarian disease (PCOD). However, despite androgen levels similar to those of patients with typical PCOD, high serum LH to FSH ratios were not consistently found. Seven other women (39%) presented with isolated hirsutism, suggesting idiopathic hirsutism. The remaining 4 women (22%) had no manifestations of androgen excess and were considered to have the cryptic form of LOHD. Serum 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) and androgen levels were similar in the 3 phenotypes, suggesting that the clinical expression of LOHD in women is modulated by individual factors, such as androgen sensitivity. The 2 men were detected by family study and were clinically normal. Since clinical diagnosis of LOHD is impossible, we concentrated on hormonal data with the aim of providing guidelines for the biological diagnosis of LOHD. Assay of basal serum 17-OHD at 0800 h in both sexes and in the early follicular phase in women was sufficient to establish the diagnosis of LOHD in most patients. If doubtful results are obtained, i.e. serum 17-OHP levels between 2 and 5 ng/ml, an ACTH test must be performed. Post-ACTH serum 17-OHP levels exceeding 10 ng/ml confirm the diagnosis of LOHD. Such results should avoid confusion with heterozygotes for 21-hydroxylase deficiency, whose frequency is high within the general population and may be even higher in patients with idiopathic hirsutism or PCOD.

[Posttraumatic neurogenic hyponatremia with late onset]. / Hyponatrémie neurogène post-traumatique de révélation tardive.

Ten months following a severe head injury, a 26-year-old man developed a syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) with a grand mal seizure occurring after an increased intake of non alcoholic beverages. The water loading test was negative but the sorbitol infusion test was positive. In the basal state, plasma concentration of ADH was inappropriate to plasma osmolality. ADH has also been measured during dynamic tests (infusions of sorbitol and of normal saline; complete and partial water restriction; propranolol and diphenylhydantoin treatments). In spite of the poor sensitivity of these measurements when ADH concentrations are low, our results indicate that the plasma osmolality threshold at which ADH secretion is inhibited was probably reset at a level lower than normal.

[Craniopharyngioma in the same family]. / Craniopharyngiome dans une même fratrie.

Within 2 years, two sisters, aged 23 and 33, were operated on for a craniopharyngioma. With regard to this exceptional feature, relation between neuroectodermal affections and craniopharyngiomas is discussed, and genetic determination of the occurrence of those tumors is evoked.

[Detection of pituitary adenomas by computerized tomography (author's transl)]. / Détection des adénomes hypophysaires sécrétants par tomodensitométrie. Expérience d'une année en milieu endocrinologique.

Computed tomography, a non-invasive procedure, is a major contribution for morphological exploration of pituitary adenomas extending into the suprasellar region, while, as the authors have demonstrated, it is still difficult to detect intrasellar adenomas, particularly microadenomas.