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Query: UMLS:C0024523 (malabsorption)
 7,319 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The negative effect on bone due to the glucocorticoid excess is mediated by the direct action of cortisol in reducing bone apposition and increasing bone resorption, and by indirect mechanisms such as the calcium malabsorption, hypercalciuria and hypogonadism. The condition of overt hypercortisolism, also called Cushing's syndrome, leads to osteoporosis and fractures in up to the 70% of cases, even in the presence of normal gonadal status and in males. The recovery from Cushing's syndrome leads to a normalization of bone mineral density only after several years, even if some data show that the risk of fractures normalizes after one year from the cure. Alendronate has been demonstrated to be useful to accelerate the restoration of normal bone mass after the cure of Cushing's syndrome Several studies, even not all, have been demonstrated that also the condition of asymptomatic or "subclinical" hypercortisolism (often associated to adrenal adenoma) is associated to a reduction of bone mineral density and increased prevalence of fracture even in the presence of eugonadal status and in males. Unfortunately, data regarding the effect of the normalization of cortisol secretion on bone mass and risk of fractures are lacking. On the other hand, it is known that osteoporotic fractures may be the clinical presentation of an otherwise asymptomatic hypercortisolism. In a recent study we have demonstrated that in a population of outpatients with established osteoporosis and without known or clinically evident secondary causes, the prevalence of subclinical hypercortisolism is about 10%. This finding suggests that the presence of subclinical hypercortisolism has to be taken in to account when evaluating patients with unexplainable established osteoporosis.
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PMID:[Role of cortisol hypersecretion in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis]. 1871 63

Endocrine diseases that may cause hypercalcemia and hypocalcemia include hyperparathyroidism, hypoparathyroidism, thyroid disorders, hyperadrenocorticism, hypoadrenocorticism, and less commonly pheochromocytoma and multiple endocrine neoplasias. The differential diagnosis of hypercalcemia may include malignancy (lymphoma, anal sac carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma), hyperparathyroidism, vitamin D intoxication, chronic renal disease, hypoadrenocorticism, granulomatous disorders, osteolysis, or spurious causes. Hypocalcemia may be caused by puerperal tetany, pancreatitis, intestinal malabsorption, ethlyene glycol intoxication, acute renal failure, hypopararthyroidism, hypovitaminosis D, hypomagnesemia, and low albumin. This article focuses on the endocrine causes of calcium imbalance and provides diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines for identifying the cause of hypercalcemia and hypocalcemia in veterinary patients.
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PMID:Endocrine causes of calcium disorders. 2341 81

Despite many recent advances, the management of patients with Cushing's disease continues to be challenging. Cushing's syndrome is a complex metabolic disorder that is a result of excess glucocorticoids. Excluding the exogenous causes, adrenocorticotropic hormone-secreting pituitary adenomas account for nearly 70% of all cases of Cushing's syndrome. The suspicion, diagnosis, and differential diagnosis require a logical systematic approach with attention paid to key details at each investigational step. A diagnosis of endogenous Cushing's syndrome is usually suspected in patients with clinical symptoms and confirmed by using multiple biochemical tests. Each of the biochemical tests used to establish the diagnosis has limitations that need to be considered for proper interpretation. Although some tests determine the total daily urinary excretion of cortisol, many others rely on measurements of serum cortisol at baseline and after stimulation (e.g., after corticotropin-releasing hormone) or suppression (e.g., dexamethasone) with agents that influence the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Other tests (e.g., measurements of late-night salivary cortisol concentration) rely on alterations in the diurnal rhythm of cortisol secretion. Because more than 90% of the cortisol in the circulation is protein bound, any alteration in the binding proteins (transcortin and albumin) will automatically influence the measured level and confound the interpretation of stimulation and suppression data, which are the basis for establishing the diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome. Although measuring late-night salivary cortisol seems to be an excellent initial test for hypercortisolism, it may be confounded by poor sampling methods and contamination. Measurements of 24-hour urinary free-cortisol excretion could be misleading in the presence of some pathological and physiological conditions. Dexamethasone suppression tests can be affected by illnesses that alter the absorption of the drug (e.g., malabsorption, celiac disease) and by the concurrent use of medications that interfere with its metabolism (e.g., inducers and inhibitors of the P450 enzyme system). In this review, the authors aim to review the pitfalls commonly encountered in the workup of patients suspected to have hypercortisolism. The optimal diagnosis and therapy for patients with Cushing's disease require the thorough and close coordination and involvement of all members of the management team.
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PMID:Pitfalls in the diagnosis and management of Cushing's syndrome. 2563 22