ACTA ENDOCRINOLOGICA (BUC)

Objectives. We aimed to determine lipodystrophy frequency according to insulin treatment regimen and insulin injection frequency in type 2 diabetic patients. Methods. A total of 345 type 2 diabetic patients under insulin treatment for at least one year were included in this cross-sectional study. Patients were examined for presence of lipodystrophy, insulin injection frequency and dosage. Lipodystrophy was evaluated with visual inspection and palpation of all injection sites. Patients were evaluated into three categories according to daily insulin dose requirement: Group 1= Standard-dose insulin users 0.6 U/ kg/day; Group 2= Medium-dose insulin users 0.61-1.9 U/kg/ day, Group 3= High-dose insulin users ≥2 U/kg/day. Results. Lipodystrophy was seen in 28% of the patients. Lipodystrophy was significantly higher in group 3. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of lipodystrophy size. Duration of insulin treatment, daily total insulin dose, daily insulin dose per weight and number of daily insulin injections were significantly higher in the group with lipodystrophy. Daily injection number of long-acting, rapidly-acting analog and total insulin injections were significantly higher in group 3 than group 1 and 2. Number of daily insulin injections and lipodystrophy frequency were significantly higher in basalbolus insulin user group. Multivariate analysis showed that insulin injection frequency is the independent risk factor for lipodystrophy. Conclusion. Lipodystrophy is still a clinical problem in patients with high-dose insulin requirement and frequent insulin injections. Reducing daily insulin requirement and daily number of injections should be given priority in the management of patients to prevent the development of lipodystrophy.

Context. A persistently elevated thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level is a common clinical problem in primary hypothyroidism patients treated with levothyroxine (LT4). “Pseudomalabsorption”, which is characterized by poor adherence,should be considered in cases of refractory hypothyroidism after excluding other causes, such as malabsorption. Objective. We reviewed the features of the patients with persistently elevated TSH despite high-dose LT4 therapy. Design. Symptom evaluation, medications, comorbid diseases and physical examination features of five patients who applied to our outpatient clinic between 2016- 2019 and diagnosed with LT4 pseudomalabsorption were retrospectively analyzed. Subjects and methods. The LT4 loading test was performed with an oral dose of 1,000 μg LT4. Demographic parameters, BMI, thyroid function tests, laboratory parameters for malabsorption were recorded. Results. We observed at least two-fold increase of free thyroxine levels during the test, which was considered pseudomalabsorption. Euthyroidism was achieved in two patients by increasing the LT4 dosage and in one patient with a change in the preparation. TSH decreased significantly after being informed about compliance in one patient. Another one was given LT4 twice weekly, but TSH remained elevated because of nonadherence. Conclusion. The LT4 loading/absorption test is a valuable tool to confirm the diagnosis of pseudomalabsorption. Informing patients, changing the preparation, increasing the dose, supervised intake of daily/weekly LT4 forms are treatment options for managing these cases.

Background. Although diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea and hyperlipidemia are clearly documented as obesity associated diseases, it is not wellknown whether obesity causes renal pathologies. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of weight loss following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy on clinical, renal parameters and urinary Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) levels in diabetic and non-diabetic obese patients. Methods. Nineteen morbidly obese patients (10 diabetic and 9 non diabetic) who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy were evaluated clinically (anthropometric measurements) and biochemically before surgery and at 6 months from surgery. Results. Significant decreases in weight, BMI, FPG, PPG and HbA1c levels were observed in the diabetic group when the baseline and 6th month parameters of the patients were compared. There was also a significant decrease in SBP and DBP. At 6th month following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, renal parameters such as creatinine, mAlb/creatinine, NGAL/ creatinine did not differ in the diabetic group. In the nondiabetic group, serum creatinine levels were significantly decreased, but other renal parameters such as mAlb/creatinine and NGAL/ creatinine were not significantly different. Conclusions. Our findings revealed significant decreases in weight, body mass index and glycemic parameters after sleeve gastrectomy in diabetic and non-diabetic patients, while no significant alteration was noted in renal functions, urinary NGAL and microalbumin levels.