Adrenal News

At the end of each year, the Endocrine Today Editorial Board votes on the top 10 stories of the year. This year, we’ve asked Board members to tell us about their most anticipated endocrinologic advances in the coming year. As always, we welcome your comments and opinions on the top trends to watch.

The FDA announced approval of Novartis’s pasireotide injection for the treatment of Cushing’s disease in adults who do not have the option to undergo pituitary surgery or in whom surgery has not been curative.

The FDA Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee has voted unanimously to approve pasireotide injection for the treatment of Cushing’s disease. This is the second drug labeled specifically to treat hypercortisolemia.

Patients receiving conventional immediate-release oral hydrocortisone replacement therapy for treatment of adrenal insufficiency report a compromised quality of life and significant changes in work, social life and physical activity, according to data presented at the 15th European NeuroEndocrine Association Congress in Vienna.

Thirty days after surgery, patients with preoperative hyponatremia were at greater risk for mortality compared with patients whose baseline sodium levels were normal. Additionally, patients with preoperative hyponatremia were also at greater risk for perioperative coronary events and other complications, according to data from a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Dehydroepiandrosterone levels are low among patients with adrenal insufficiency, both at baseline and after low-dose cosyntropin stimulation, according to data from researchers in Ohio.  Therefore, they recommend measuring dehydroepiandrosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels when assessing hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function.

Patients in remission of Cushing’s disease may experience decreased total fat and improved cardiovascular risk factors, according to data from a prospective study.   

There is a need for more consistent guidelines on adrenal vein sampling in patients who seek surgical care of primary aldosteronism, according to study results.

Patients with Cushing’s disease experienced declines in cortisol levels when treated with the novel somatostatin analogue pasireotide, according to results of a double blind, phase 3 study.

Hypertensive patients with an adrenal incidentaloma were significantly more likely to have autonomous aldosterone secretion than normotensive counterparts, according to study results.