Sameer Aggarwal

Thyroid disorders and polycystic ovary syndrome: An emerging relationship

As the prevalence of these endocrine dysfunctions increases, the association of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and autoimmune thyroid disease is increasingly being recognised. While the causality of this association is still uncertain, the two conditions share a bidirectional relationship. The exact nature of this link has not been elucidated yet. Both syndromes share certain common characteristics, risk factors, and pathophysiological abnormalities. Simultaneously, certain etiopathogenetic factors that operate to create these dysfunctions are dissimilar. Polycystic appearing ovaries are a clinical feature of hypothyroidism, though hypothyroidism should be excluded before diagnosing PCOS. Adiposity, increased insulin resistance, high leptin, evidence of deranged autoimmunity, all of which are present in both disease states, seem to play a complex role in connecting these two disorders. This brief communication explores the nature of the relationship between PCOS and hypothyroidism. It reviews current data and analyses them to present a unified pathophysiological basis, incorporating these complex relationships, for the same.

Calcium and vitamin D in post menopausal women.

Calcium and Vitamin D are widely used therapies for Osteoporosis. Vitamin D is not a vitamin in true sense since it is produced in response to the action of sunlight on skin. Vitamin D has multiple roles in the body, not all of them well-understood. Vitamin D supplementation must be considered a form of hormone replacement therapy. Therefore it raises all the questions about efficacy, dose, and side effects. The Efficacy of use of Calcium and Vitamin D in all post menopausal women in terms of the prevention of fracture is uncertain. The Annual worldwide sales of these supplements have been several billion dollars. The variation of the results from various studies of Calcium and Vitamin D supplementation in elderly women suggest that benefit of calcium plus vitamin D on bone mineral density or the risk of fracture is small and may vary from group to group and baseline Vitamin D status. Women taking supplemental vitamin D and calcium have a statistically increased incidence of renal stones, according to evidence from the Womens Health Initiative. Studies have shown association between calcium use and increased risk for cardiovascular disease. In a recent review of evidence from 6 randomized trials evaluating the use of vitamin D and calcium to prevent fractures in postmenopausal women who are not living in a nursing home or other institution, the United States Preventive Task Force (USPTF) found no evidence of a benefit from supplementation with 400 IU or less of vitamin D3 and 1000 mg or less of calcium. Also in a report from institute of Medicine Committee, there was insufficient evidence, particularly from randomized trials, that vitamin D treatment affected the risk of non skeletal outcomes like risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, infections, autoimmune disease, and other extra skeletal outcomes.

Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis with autoimmune thyroiditis

Cerebral Venous Thrombosis (CVT) is a multifactorial condition which is described as idiopathic in 12.5% of patients. Hyperthyroidism has been associated with CVT in many case reports, and increased levels of factor VIII and von Willebrand factor (vWF) have been proposed as the possible link in this association, but only few rare case reports have described an association of hypothyroidism with CVT. We report here a case of autoimmune thyroiditis presenting with CVT.

Diabetes care: Inspiration from Sikhism

Religion has been proposed as a means of enhancing patient and community acceptance of diabetes and cultural specific motivational strategies to improve diabetes care. Sikhism is a young and vibrant religion, spread across the world and the Holy Scripture Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS) is regarded as the living Guru by all Sikhs. The three key pillars of Sikhism are Kirat Karni (honest living), Vand Chakna (sharing with others) and Naam Japna (focus on God). They can help encourage the diabetes care provider, patient and community to engage in lifestyle modification, shared responsibility, positive thinking and stress management. The verses (Sabads) from the SGGS, with their timeless relevance, span the entire spectrum of diabetes care, from primordial and primary, to secondary and tertiary prevention. They can provide us with guidance towards a holistic approach towards health and lifestyle related diseases as diabetes. The SGGS suggests that good actions are based on ones body and highlights the relevance of mind-body interactions and entraining the mind to cultivate healthy living habits. The ethics of sharing, community and inclusiveness all lay emphasis on the need for global and unified efforts to manage and reduce the burden of the diabetes pandemic.

Rare association of acromegaly with left atrial myxoma in Carney's complex due to novel PRKAR1A mutation

Summary Carney complex (CNC) is a rare autosomal dominant syndrome characterized by pigmented lesions of the skin and mucosae along with cardiac, endocrine, cutaneous, and neural myxomatous tumors. Mutations in the PRKAR1A gene have been identified in ∼70% of the CNC cases reported worldwide. A 30-year-old male was referred to the endocrinology clinic with suspected acromegaly. He had a history of recurrent atrial myxoma for the past 8 years for which he underwent repeated surgeries. Presently, he complained of having headache, excessive snoring, sweating, and also noticed increase in his shoe size. Evaluation for acromegaly revealed elevated levels of GH in random as well as in suppressed condition. Magnetic resonance imaging scan revealed enlarged sella with microadenoma in the left anterior pituitary. Screening of PRKAR1A gene was carried out for the patient, his parents and siblings who were available and willing to undergo the test. The patient was diagnosed to have the rare CNC syndrome characterized by recurrent atrial myxoma and acromegaly due to a novel 22 bp insertion mutation in PRKAR1A which was predicted to be deleterious by in silico analysis. Screening the available family members revealed the absence of this mutation in them except the elder brother who also tested positive for this mutation. The present study reports on a novel PRKAR1A insertion mutation in a patient with acromegaly and left atrial myxoma in CNC. Learning points Identification of a novel deleterious PRKAR1A insertion mutation causing CNC. It is important that patients with cardiac myxoma be investigated for presence of endocrine overactivity suggestive of CNC. PRKAR1A mutation analysis should be undertaken in such cases to confirm the diagnosis in the patients as well as first degree relatives. This case highlights an important aspect of diagnosis, clinical course, and management of this rare condition.

Management of glycemia in acute febrile illness

With increasing the prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes across the globe, a large number of patients with acute febrile illness (AFI) are likely to have concomitant diabetes or stress hyperglycemia. Management of associated hyperglycemia in patients with AFI is of utmost importance for early recovery and to prevent complications. There is no published literature, detailing the strategies and targets for glycemic control in AFI specifically; however, guidelines do exist for the management of hyperglycemia in hospitalized or outpatients in general. This review attempts to provide pragmatic and practical suggestions to facilitate effective and safe management of hyperglycemia in patients with AFI.

Bhagavad gita for the physician

This communication presents verses from the Bhagavad Gita which help define a good clinicians skills and behavior. Using the teachings of Lord Krishna, these curated verses suggest three essential skills that a physician must possess: Excellent knowledge, equanimity, and emotional attributes. Three good behaviors are listed (Pro-work ethics, Patient-centered care, and Preceptive leadership) and supported by thoughts written in the Gita.

A 2016 clinical practice pattern in the management of primary hypothyroidism among doctors from different clinical specialties in New Delhi

Background: This study aimed to document practices in managing hypothyroidism among doctors in New Delhi, with special focus on subclinical hypothyroidism, pregnancy, and old age, and to compare it with global practices. Methods: During an academic program attended by 394 doctors, all participants were given a questionnaire designed based on thyroid practices survey done by Burch et al. to evaluate the practice patterns. Questions were based on evaluating doctors preferred choices in diagnosis, therapy, and follow-up of hypothyroidism in different scenarios. Results: Responses from 308 questionnaires (general physicians [n = 204], obstetricians [n = 51], pediatricians [n = 27], surgeons [n = 12], endocrinologists [n = 10], and others [n = 4]) were analyzed. In the evaluation of 52-year-old female patient with primary hypothyroidism, 52% doctors would prefer thyroid ultrasonography, comparable to global rates. Nearly 96.1% doctors would have initiated levothyroxine, with a large majority of doctors (83.77%) preferred using branded levothyroxine. About 58.74% doctors preferred gradual restoration of euthyroidism. Levothyroxine dose of 25 mcg was the most preferred increment dose (46.07%) during follow-up, with 6 weekly being the most frequent dose adjustment frequency (41.57%). Most preferred target thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in the 52-year-old female patient was 2.5–4.99 mU/L (63.96%), 25-year-old female patient was 1–2.49 mU/L (53.90%), and in 85-year-old female was 2.5–4.99 mU/L (45.45%). Only 68% of doctors in our study preferred keeping TSH <2.5 mU/L during the first trimester of pregnancy, in contrast to global trends of 95% (P < 0.001). Conclusion: There was a disproportionately high use of ultrasonography in hypothyroidism management, near exclusive preference for branded levothyroxine, widespread use of age-specific TSH targets, and low threshold for treating mild thyroid failure, a highly variable approach to both rates and means of restoring euthyroidism for overt primary hypothyroidism. There is a need for spreading awareness regarding TSH targets in pregnancy.

Utility of 18F-choline photon emission tomography/computed tomography in the diagnosis of parathyroid adenoma

Recently, the role of 18F-choline in the detection of parathyroid adenomas has been reported. At our institution, we are currently studying the role of this tracer in comparison to the standard methoxy-isobutyl-isonitrile.(MIBI) scan with single photon emission tomography/computed tomography. Our initial results show that 18F-choline is at least as good as 99mTc-MIBI scan. We present here a representative case of a 45-year-old woman with multiple skeletal lytic lesions and a high parathyroid hormone.(PTH) who underwent both these imaging techniques with concordant results, further confirmed by histopathology and postoperative fall in serum PTH levels.

Hypophosphatemic rickets associated with giant hairy nevus.

The association of multisystem pathologic conditions and epidermal nevi, known as the epidermal nevus syndrome, includes disorders of bone, central nervous system, eye, kidney, vasculature and skin. Rarely, congenital nevomelanocytic nevus also known as hairy nevus has also been reported in association with hypophosphatemic rickets. Studies suggest that phosphaturia, caused by circulating factors, called “phosphatonins” may be secreted by an epidermal or hairy nevus. We report here, a rare case of hypophosphatemic rickets associated with a giant hairy nevus in a 10-year-old boy.