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Biomedical subjects

L I Rose

Publications and source records attributed to L I Rose.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Desmopressin for diabetes insipidus, hemostatic disorders and enuresis.

Arginine vasopressin preparations have been used in the treatment of diabetes insipidus for many years. Compared with older antidiuretic agents, the synthetic analog desmopressin is more potent, longer acting and easier to use. It is available for intravenous, subcutaneous and intranasal administration. Desmopressin may be useful in the treatment of hemostatic disorders such as von Willebrand's disease and hemophilia A. It has also been used for nocturnal enuresis. The vasopressor effects of arginine vasopressin preparations have been exploited for use as a temporizing measure in controlling acute gastrointestinal bleeding. Side effects such as hyponatremia and water intoxication are uncommon when these drugs are used with proper precautions.

Deamino Arginine Vasopressin↗

Growth hormone therapy.

Growth hormone from human pituitary glands has been available for 30 years. Because of the scarce supply and the danger of transmitting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, use of the hormone was discontinued in 1984. Fortunately, synthetic growth hormone produced with recombinant DNA technology became available in 1985 and eliminated the risk of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Growth hormone is approved for use in the treatment of pituitary deficiency syndromes and, when properly administered at an early stage, is capable of inducing normal skeletal and muscular development. It also has been successfully used to augment growth in patients with Turner's syndrome or constitutional growth delay not associated with obvious growth hormone defects. Side effects are generally not serious, but antibodies to growth hormone develop in about 30 percent of patients.

Growth Disorders↗

Corticosteroids and adrenal suppression. Characterising and avoiding the problem.

Glucocorticoids are used for a variety of illnesses. One of their major complications is suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, rendering a patient unable to respond to stress. The risk of this suppression may be minimised by the use of short-acting glucocorticoid preparations, administration of the entire daily dose in the early morning, use of topical and intra-articular preparations where appropriate, and the use of alternate-day therapy where appropriate. Most importantly, glucocorticoids should be used cautiously when indicated, and the duration of therapy limited as much as possible.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗

Selection of thyroid preparations.

Hypothyroidism is gratifying to treat, since the response to hormone replacement therapy is excellent. Synthetic levothyroxine is now considered the drug of choice because its effects are more predictable and reliable than those of other thyroid preparations. The choice of dose is based on clinical effects of treatment and on achieving normal levels of triiodothyronine, thyroxine and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). The availability of a new, ultrasensitive TSH assay has increased the value of TSH assay for monitoring the response to hormone replacement therapy.

Drug Combinations↗

Side-effects of spironolactone therapy in the hirsute woman.

Spironolactone, an aldosterone antagonist with antiandrogenic activities, is often used to treat hirsute women. Several investigators have reported beneficial effects of such treatment, but the dosages used and side-effects encountered differ in their reports. To clarify this issue, 26 consecutive premenopausal women with idiopathic hirsutism were prospectively evaluated during spironolactone treatment. Sixteen women initially received 100 mg spironolactone twice daily on days 4-21 of their menstrual cycles. In 11 women (68%), the dosage had to be decreased or the medication discontinued due to side-effects. The major side-effect, metrorrhagia with 14-day cycles, occurred in 9 women (56%). This side-effect, while not dangerous, was intolerable to these women. In one woman, spironolactone was discontinued because of urticaria and in another because of scalp hair loss. Ten women initially received 50 mg spironolactone twice daily on days 4-21 of their menstrual cycles. Two developed metrorrhagia, but no other side-effects were noted. Because of the incidence of metrorrhagia at higher dosages, we recommend that spironolactone be administered cyclically at a starting dosage of 50 mg twice daily on days 4-21 of the menstrual cycle. Alternatively, one may consider adding cyclical estrogen/progesterone therapy to continuous spironolactone therapy.

Adult↗

Low incidence of painless thyroiditis in the Philadelphia area.

Publications from the midwestern region of the United States have demonstrated an incidence of 14-23% of painless thyroiditis in hyperthyroid individuals. This possibly could represent a local phenomenon, and perhaps is not typical for other areas of the country. The 24 hour radioactive iodine uptakes in 152 consecutive hyperthyroid individuals in the Philadelphia area were evaluated. No patient in the series, with clinical and biochemical evidence of hyperthyroidism, had painless thyroiditis. It is concluded that the incidence of painless thyroiditis is markedly lower in the Philadelphia area than in the Midwest regions of the United States.

Humans↗

Effect of long-term amiodarone therapy on thyroid hormone levels and thyroid function.

Both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism have been noted to occur in some patients treated with amiodarone for cardiac arrhythmias. To determine the frequency of the development of thyroidal abnormalities in patients receiving amiodarone, 45 euthyroid patients were prospectively evaluated. Serum samples were obtained for measurement of thyroxine, thyrotropin, triiodothyronine, and triiodothyronine resin uptake prior to initiation of amiodarone treatment and serially over a 12- to 27-month period during which amiodarone was administered. The patients were divided into four subgroups as follows: Group I (n = 22) had elevated thyroxine levels, Group IIA (n = 13) had normal thyroxine levels and normal thyrotropin levels, Group IIB (n = 7) had normal thyroxine levels and elevated thyrotropin levels, and Group III (n = 3) had subnormal thyroxine levels. Demographic factors (such as route of administration, cardiac diagnosis, sex of the patient, or indication for amiodarone therapy) and amiodarone levels had no significant effect on the thyroid hormone parameters. However, Group I patients were statistically older than the patients in the other groups. Linear regression analysis revealed a negative correlation for thyroxine levels and a positive correlation with thyrotropin levels with age for the whole group. The various groups were not statistically affected by duration of therapy, but a positive trend existed for increasing thyroxine levels. Although virtually all patients showed changes in their thyroid hormone levels, chemical hyperthyroidism (elevated thyroxine and triiodothyronine levels without symptoms) developed in only two patients (4 percent), and clinical hyperthyroidism (elevated thyroxine and triiodothyronine levels with symptoms) developed in no patients. Four patients (9 percent) became biochemically and clinically hypothyroid. Thus, amiodarone frequently influences thyroid hormonal parameters, but less commonly causes a change in actual thyroid function. However, hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism do occur in a significant number of patients.

Age Factors↗

Recurrent thyrotoxicosis after I-131 induced hypothyroidism.

The first clinically and biochemically documented case of recurrent thyrotoxicosis after I-131 induced hypothyroidism in a patient with Graves' disease is reported. Two months after the administration of 9.2 mCi of I-131, the subject developed hypothyroidism. One month later, the patient became euthyroid. Then, nine months following ablation, the patient again developed thyrotoxicosis. A second dose of I-131 of 12.5 mCi was required to finally produce permanent hypothyroidism. This case illustrates the recurrence of hypothyroidism after what had seemed to have been adequate I-131 radiation.

Adult↗

Blood pressure response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone in euthyroid subjects.

The iv administration of TRH has been associated with side effects, such as nausea, flushing, and urinary urgency. However, few reports mention changes in blood pressure. This study defines the mean and range of the blood pressure responses in 70 euthyroid patients subjected to iv administered TRH. The mean increase was 21.0 +/- 1.4 mm Hg for systolic and 13.9 +/- 1.0 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure; however, individual peak values increased as much as 56 and 42 mm Hg, respectively. Thus, the hemodynamic response to iv administered TRH can be quite severe in some subjects, and caution is suggested in selecting patients for testing.

Blood Pressure↗

Late onset adrenocortical hydroxylase deficiencies associated with menstrual dysfunction.

Forty-eight women with menstrual dysfunction and clinical evidence of excess androgen production were subjected to an adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation test that demonstrated the presence of a late-onset 11- or 21-adrenocortical hydroxylase deficiency. Adrenocortical suppression therapy with prednisone was then instituted. Eighty-three percent of the women improved and either conceived, established normal regular menstrual cycles, or noted a significant increase in menstrual regularity. In patients desiring fertility, there was an overall pregnancy rate of 64% and a corrected pregnancy rate of 93%. Some of these patients were given clomiphene in addition to the prednisone. The present study has demonstrated that an adrenocortical abnormality, characterized by a partial deficiency of either 11-hydroxylase or 21-hydroxylase, plays a significant role in many women with clinical evidence of hyperandrogenism and menstrual abnormalities. In such women, adrenocortical suppression is indicated and often results in a significant improvement of the menstrual disturbance.

Adolescent↗