Jørgen Hangaard

A review of endocrine changes in anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is a syndrome of unknown etiology. It is associated with multiple endocrine abnormalities. Hypothalamic monoamines (especially serotonin), neuropeptides (especially neuropeptide Y and cholecystokinin) and leptin are involved in the regulation of human appetite, and in several ways they are changed in anorexia nervosa. However, it remains to be clarified whether the altered appetite regulation is secondary or etiologic. Increased secretion of corticotropin-releasing hormone and proopiomelanocortin seems to be secondary to starvation, however, there is evidence that it may maintain and intensify anorexia, excessive physical activity and amenorrhea. Hypothalamic amenorrhea, which is a diagnostic criterion in anorexia nervosa, is not solely related to the low body weight and exercise. Growth hormone resistance with low production of insulin-like growth factor I and high growth hormone secretion reflect the nutritional deprivation. The nutritional therapy of patients with anorexia nervosa might be improved by administering an anabolic agent such as growth hormone or insulin-like growth factor I. So far none of the endocrine abnormalities have proved to be primary, however, there is increasing evidence that some of these might participate in a vicious circle.

Diurnal variation of the serum leptin concentration in patients with anorexia nervosa

In rodents, leptin is involved in regulating eating behaviour, fat storage, and reproductive function. In humans, the serum leptin concen_tration in obese and normal weight subjects correlates with body mass index, reflecting the body fat store. The serum leptin exhibit diurnal variation, however, this has been reported to be absent in normal weighted amenorrheic athletes. Anorexia nervosa is associated with multiple endocrine abnormalities. Hypothalamic amenorrhoea often precedes the weight loss and may persist after weight recovery. We hypothesized that leptin could be involved in the regulation of eating behaviour and gonadal function in anorexia nervosa.

Indirect evidence for decreased hypothalamic somatostatinergic tone in anorexia nervosa

objective In animals, somatostatin (SRIH) and growth hormone (GH)‐releasing hormone (GHRH) increase feeding via a common neural mechanism. Furthermore, SRIH counteracts the suppressive action of corticotrophin‐releasing hormone (CRH) on food intake. Hypothetically, SRIH could be involved in the central feeding mechanism in anorexia nervosa (AN). Peripheral administration of pyridostigmine (PD) minimizes the release of hypothalamic SRIH.

Update on endocrine disturbances in anorexia nervosa

The marked endocrine changes that occur in anorexia nervosa have aroused a great deal of interest, and over the last decade much research has been conducted in this field. The endocrine disturbances are not specific to this disorder, as they also occur in starvation states secondary to other causes, and they return to normal upon weight restoration. However, emaciation may have profound effects on psychological processes, establishing an intricate circular interaction whereby somatic and psychological manifestations of starvation may continue to act. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the large body of literature concerning endocrine aspects of anorexia nervosa with the main focus on the latest results, which provide leads for potential etiological theories.

Telemedicine Diabetes Consultations Are Cost-Effective, and Effects on Essential Diabetes Treatment Parameters Are Similar to Conventional Treatment: 7-Year Results from the Svendborg Telemedicine Diabetes Project

Background: The increasing number of patients with diabetes poses a major challenge for the health care system. One instrument to meet these challenges could be the use of telemedicine, which, at the same time, may reduce treatment costs. Since 2005, diabetes patients on the island of Aeroe have been offered expert diabetes care using teleconsultations. This article describes the impact of the telemedicine solution on essential diabetes treatment parameters, patient satisfaction, and cost-effectiveness. Methods: Telemedicine consultations were conducted with the patient and nurse specialist placed in a consultation room of Aeroe Hospital in audiovisual contact with the physician situated at the hospital on the mainland. Consultations were supported by an electronic patient record and a Web-based quality-monitoring diabetes database. Results: Inclusion criteria in this retrospective study were at least 6 months of telemedicine diabetes control with a minimum of two visits and two hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values. Results were compared with data from the Danish National Diabetes Registry (DVDD). Data are given in medians. In total, 23 type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients, aged 65 (56–74) versus 48 years, diabetes duration 21.0 (10.7–31.3) versus 20.5 years, and 55 type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, aged 67 (64–70) versus 65 years, diabetes duration 14.0 (10.5–17.5) versus 11.7 years, were included. After teleconsultation, HbA1c in T1DM patients was 8.0% (7.4–8.6%) versus 7.9% [64 (57–71) versus 63 mmol/mol], not significant, and in T2DM patients was 7.4% (7.1–7.7%) versus 7.6% [57 (54–61) versus 60 mmol/mol], p < .05. Body mass index, blood pressure, and lipid values were comparable with the DVDD. Patient satisfaction was especially related to the major reduction in transportation time (7 h). Reductions in traveling costs and saved working days were the most important factors in making the telemedicine set-up economically efficient. Conclusion: Telemedicine consultation for remote outpatient diabetes control is feasible, and the interdisciplinary interventions achieved high treatment quality results in essential diabetes treatment parameters. In addition, the telemedicine set-up was associated with improved cost-effectiveness and patient satisfaction.

Early observations of S-myoglobin in the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. The influence of discrimination limit, analytical quality, patient's sex and prevalence of disease

By means of a graphical method the influence of the analytical variation and the discrimination limit (DL) on the diagnostic power of the maximum serum myoglobin value observed from 4 to 12 h after onset of symptoms in 291 patients suspected for myocardial infarction (AMI) was examined. The prevalence of AMI was 0.45 and the male to female ratio 2:1. Serum myoglobin (S-myoglobin) was measured by a radioimmunoassay (RIA) with a coefficient of analytical variation (CVA) of 9%. For the distributions of the log values of maximum S-myoglobin for AMI patients and non-AMI patients straight lines were obtained on a probit scale. A statistically significant difference was found between the distributions for females and males without AMI, whereas no difference was found between females and males with AMI. The distributions of patients with and without AMI overlapped markedly giving a high number of misclassifications. The minimum fraction of misclassifications among all patients admitted occurred at a DL of 325 micrograms/l and was 0.16. When S-myoglobin is used for the purpose of early diagnosis of AMI the DL should be chosen so that the fraction of false negative patients is small. Consequently the fraction of false positive patients will be relatively high. At a DL of, for example, 175 micrograms/l, the false negative fraction was 0.06 of all patients with AMI (sensitivity 0.94), and the fraction of false positive patients was 0.35 (specificity 0.65).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Pharmacological Treatment of the Pathogenetic Defects in Type 2 Diabetes The randomized multicenter South Danish Diabetes Study

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of treatment with insulin aspart compared with NPH insulin, together with metformin/placebo and rosiglitazone/placebo. The hypothesis was that combined correction of major pathogenetic defects in type 2 diabetes would result in optimal glycemic control. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This study was a 2-year investigator-driven randomized partly placebo-controlled multicenter trial in 371 patients with type 2 diabetes on at least oral antiglycemic treatment. Patients were assigned to one of eight treatment groups in a factorial design with insulin aspart at mealtimes versus NPH insulin once daily at bedtime, metformin twice daily versus placebo, and rosiglitazone twice daily versus placebo. The main outcome measurement was change in A1C. RESULTS A1C decreased more in patients treated with insulin aspart compared with NPH (−0.41 ± 0.10%, P < 0.001). Metformin decreased A1C compared with placebo (−0.60 ± 0.10%, P < 0.001), as did rosiglitazone (−0.55 ± 0.10%, P < 0.001). Triple therapy (rosiglitazone, metformin, and any insulin) resulted in a greater reduction in A1C than rosiglitazone plus insulin (−0.50 ± 0.14%, P < 0.001) and metformin plus insulin (−0.45 ± 0.14%, P < 0.001). Aspart was associated with a higher increase in body weight (1.6 ± 0.6 kg, P < 0.01) and higher incidence of mild daytime hypoglycemia (4.9 ± 7.5 vs. 1.7 ± 5.4 number/person/year, P < 0.001) compared with NPH. CONCLUSIONS Insulin treatment of postprandial hyperglycemia results in lower A1C than treatment of fasting hyperglycemia, at the expense of higher body weight and hypoglycemic episodes. However, insulin therapy has to be combined with treatment of both peripheral and liver insulin resistance to normalize blood glucose, and in this case, the insulin regimen is less important.

Evaluation of the optimum dose of growth hormone (GH) for restoring bone mass in adult-onset GH deficiency: results from two 12-month randomized studies.

objective To establish the optimum GH dose for restoring bone mineral density (BMD) in adult‐onset GH deficiency (GHDA).

Improving Medication Adherence in Patients with Hypertension: A Randomized Trial

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In patients with hypertension, medication adherence is often suboptimal, thereby increasing the risk of ischemic heart disease and stroke. In a randomized trial, we investigated the effectiveness of a multifaceted pharmacist intervention in a hospital setting to improve medication adherence in hypertensive patients. Motivational interviewing was a key element of the intervention. METHODS Patients (n = 532) were recruited from 3 hospital outpatient clinics and randomized to usual care or a 6-month pharmacist intervention comprising collaborative care, medication review, and tailored adherence counseling including motivational interviewing and telephone follow-ups. The primary outcome was composite medication possession ratio (MPR) to antihypertensive and lipid-lowering agents, at 1-year follow-up, assessed by analyzing pharmacy records. Secondary outcomes at 12 months included persistence to medications, blood pressure, hospital admission, and a combined clinical endpoint of cardiovascular death, stroke, or acute myocardial infarction. RESULTS At 12 months, 20.3% of the patients in the intervention group (n = 231) were nonadherent (MPR <0.80), compared with 30.2% in the control group (n = 285) (risk difference -9.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], -17.3, -2.4) and median MPR (interquartile range) was 0.93 (0.82-0.99) and 0.91 (0.76-0.98), respectively, P = .02. The combined clinical endpoint was reached by 1.3% in the intervention group and 3.1% in the control group (relative risk 0.41; 95% CI, 0.11-1.50). No significant differences were found for persistence, blood pressure, or hospital admission. CONCLUSIONS A multifaceted pharmacist intervention in a hospital setting led to a sustained improvement in medication adherence for patients with hypertension. The intervention had no significant impact on blood pressure and secondary clinical outcomes.

The effect of short‐term cortisol changes on growth hormone responses to the pyridostigmine‐growth‐hormone‐releasing‐hormone test in healthy adults and patients with suspected growth hormone deficiency

The interaction between cortisol and growth hormone (GH)‐levels may significantly influence GH‐responses to a stimulation test. In order to systematically analyse the interaction in a paired design, it is necessary to use a test, which has been proven safe and reliable such as the pyridostigmine‐growth‐hormone‐releasing‐hormone (PD‐GHRH) test. Three groups of subjects with a different GH‐secretory capacity were included.