Endocrinology

More than glands and hormones: disorders of the endocrine system cover a wide range such as diabetes mellitus, hypo- and hyperthyroidism, Cushing's syndrome and many more. Read more about the latest research, diagnostics and treatment.

News • Healthcare communication

Don't call it diabetes: Campaign for life-saving name change

Arginine vasopressin deficiency (AVP-D) is a rare condition affecting the body's water management. However, it is also known under a different name – this can lead to fatal mix-ups.

News • Aldosterone-producing adenomas

The surprising complexity of adrenal gland tumors

New research uncovers the hidden diversity of adrenal gland tumors, shedding light on how they cause unusual medical symptoms and paving the way for new drug treatments.

News • Insulinoma imaging

New PET technique reveals rare pancreas tumors

Insulinomas are benign tumors in the pancreas, but can still cause problems for patients. A new imaging technique reliably detects these previously hard-to-find tumors, according to recent research.

News • Minimally invasive procedure

Microwave ablation: alternative to thyroid cancer surgery

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is often treated with surgical resection, which often comes with significant side effects. Now, a new study points to a minimally invasive alternative.

News • Excessive fluid consumption

Thirsty all the time: harmless habit or hormonal disorder?

Drinking more than three liters of fluid per day may be a harmless habit – or a warning sign for a rare hormone deficiency. Swiss researchers investigated tests to differentiate between the two.

News • Reduction of as much as 14 years

Early type 2 diabetes has huge impact on life expectancy

The earlier it starts, the more type 2 diabetes shaves off of a person's life expectancy. For people in their 30s, this can be as much as 14 years less, new research finds.

Supervised learning approach

A new deep learning-based algorithm to predict relapse-free survival in papillary thyroid carcinoma

The tall cell variant (TCV) is an aggressive subtype of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Sebastian Stenman, researcher from the Institute for Molecular Medicine, and the Department of Pathology at the University of Helsinki, Finland, is developing and training a deep learning algorithm using supervised learning to detect and quantify the proportion of tall cells in PTC.

News • Hypothyroidism as risk factor

To fend off dementia, take care of the thyroid

Older people with hypothyroidism, also called underactive thyroid, may be at increased risk of developing dementia.

News • Adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC)

Simple urine test could significantly improve adrenal cancer detection

Using a simple urine test alongside routine imaging for patients with adrenal masses could speed up adrenal cancer diagnosis, improving patient’s prognosis and reducing the need for invasive diagnostic procedures, a new multi-centre study has found.

News • Hypothyroidism

Underactive thyroid: Study validates treatment guidelines

A study led by the University of Birmingham provides strong support for current recommendations on treating patients with an underactive thyroid and validates latest UK and US guidelines, say researchers. The retrospective cohort study, published in The BMJ, analysed anonymous GP records of over 162,000 patients who have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism – a highly prevalent condition more…

News • Endocrinology

Predicting the outcome for newborns with congenital hyperinsulinism

Babies born with congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) are at risk of suffering from permanent brain damage and life-long disability. Yet some will go on to suffer more severely than others as a result of their disease profile, report the researchers in an article published in Frontiers in Endocrinology. The research team have found that it is possible to predict when and how the disease may affect…

News • Too much of a good thing

Hypothyroidism: Overtreating could raise stroke risk

For patients who take medication to treat hypothyroidism, being treated with too much medication can lead to an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm disorder associated with stroke, a new study of more than 174,000 patients has found. The findings were presented by researchers from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City at the American Heart…

News • Psychological consequences

Cortisol excess hits natural DNA process hard

High concentrations of the stress hormone, Cortisol, in the body affect important DNA processes and increase the risk of long-term psychological consequences. These relationships are evident in a study from the Sahlgrenska Academy on patients with Cushing’s Syndrome, but the findings also open the door for new treatment strategies for other stress-related conditions such as anxiety, depression…

News • Research

New drivers of rare cancer type identified

Cancer researchers from the Würzburg University, in cooperation with the international Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network, have identified new genetic drivers of adrenal cancer. Würzburg was the center of coordination of the European scientists.

News • New take on AI

Patients with adrenal insufficiency need improved management

The largest ever, worldwide AI patient survey data presented at the 15th Congress of the European NeuroEndocrine Association (ENEA), Vienna, Austria. 87% of secondary AI patients and 60% of primary AI patients reported that their condition affected quality of life.