The study provides additional evidence that prolonging therapy for more than 3 years does not reduce recurrence rate. In particular, recurrence risk was similar in micro- and macroadenomas, and higher in patients with pituitary deficits at diagnosis.
Context
COVID-19 represents a global health emergency and infected patients with chronic diseases often present with a severe impairment. Adrenal insufficiency (AI) is supposed to be associated with an increased infection risk which could trigger an adrenal crisis.
Objective
Our primary aim was to evaluate the incidence of COVID-19 symptoms and complications in AI patients.
Design and setting
We conducted a retrospective case-control study. All patients were on active follow-up and lived in Lombardy, one of the most affected areas.
Patients
We enrolled 279 patients with primary and secondary AI and 112 controls (patients with benign pituitary lesions without hormonal alterations). All AI patients had been previously trained to modify their replacement therapy on stress doses.
Intervention
By administering a standardized questionnaire by phone, we collected data on COVID-19 suggestive symptoms and consequences.
Results
In February-April 2020, the prevalence of symptomatic patients (complaining at least one symptom of viral infection) was similar between the two groups (24% in AI and 22.3% in controls, p 0.79). Highly suggestive COVID-19 symptoms (at least two including fever and/or cough) also occurred equally in AI and controls (12.5% in both groups). No patient required hospitalization and no adrenal crisis was reported. Few nasopharyngeal swabs were performed (n=12) as indicated by sanitary regulations, limiting conclusions on the exact infection rate (two positive results in AI and none in controls, p 0.52).
Conclusions
AI patients who are adequately treated and trained, seem to display the same incidence of COVID-19 suggestive symptoms and disease severity as controls.
Surgery remains the first-choice treatment for TSHoma. If surgery is successful, recurrence is rare. When surgery is unsuccessful or contraindicated, SSA and radiotherapy are effective in controlling hyperthyroidism and tumor growth in the majority of patients. The effects of radiotherapy on TSH secretion and tumor mass are greater within the first years after treatment, whereas pituitary deficiencies may occur several years later.
Low aBMD can be considered a systemic complication of EB, primarily associated with BEBS score and 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. Therefore, longitudinal evaluation of bone status is ongoing in these patients to define whether vitamin D supplementation would prevent, or at least reduce, bone status impairment.
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