Context: Establishing the etiology of thyrotoxicosis is of utmost importance to plan the appropriate line of therapy. However, certain scenarios such as absence of pathognomonic clinical features of Graves’ disease in some patients, or non-availability of radionuclide scanning and newer generation TRAb assays especially in resource-poor settings, necessitates utilization of other, simple and effective measures to differentiate between the two common causes of thyrotoxicosis, Graves’ disease (GD) and Destructive thyroiditis (DT). Aims: The aim of this work was to study the role of FT3/FT4 ratio, T3/T4 ratio and color flow Doppler ultrasound in treatment-naïve patients with thyrotoxicosis, in comparison to Tc-99m pertechnetate thyroid scanning in the differentiation of thyrotoxicosis due to GD and DT. Materials and Methods: Clinical data was collected from all study subjects. Thyroid function tests including FT3, FT4, T3, T4 and TSH, TSH Receptor Antibody (TRAb), Technetium Tc 99m pertechnetate scan and the mean peak systolic velocity in inferior thyroid artery (mean PSV-ITA) by color Doppler ultrasonography of thyroid gland was done in all patients. Results: A total of 83 treatment-naïve patients with thyrotoxicosis (61 with GD and 22 with DT) were studied. Mean PSV-ITA, T3/T4 ratio and FT3/FT4 ratio showed a sensitivity of 85.2%, 73.8%, and 77.04%, and a specificity of 90.9%, 72.7%, and 59.09%, respectively. The three parameters in combination yielded a positive predictive value of 100% in the diagnosis of Graves’ disease. Conclusion: Results of this study show that inferior thyroid artery blood flow, T3/T4 ratio and FT3/FT4 ratio are useful parameters in the differentiation between GD and DT.
Classic CAH presenting in adulthood: Experience from a tertiary care hospital in Eastern India: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia(CAH) is one of the most common genetic disorders transmitted as an autosomal recessive trait. Of the various forms CAH due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency is most common. Based on the clinical phenotype CAH can be classified as classic and non-classic form. It is very rare for classic CAH to present in adulthood. We describe 3 patients with classic CAH presenting in adulthood. Case 1: 21 year old female presented with complaint of not attaining menarche. She had features of virilisation t with a modified Ferriman Gallwey(FG) score of 18/36, pubic hair stage 4 and atrophied breasts. Genital examination revealed clitoromegaly (CI-100 mm2) with Prader stage 2. Biochemical evaluation revealed elevated levels of serum testosterone (257.2 ng/dl), 17-hydroxy progesterone(332 ng/ml), DHEAS(417 µg/dl) and PRA of 34ng/ml/hr. Case 2: 30 year old female presented with complaint of primary infertility for 5 years. She had history of delayed menarche at 20 years and oligomenorrheic cycles since last 10 years. On examination there was hirsutism with a modified FG score of 15/36, pubic hair stage 5 with atrophied breasts. Genital examination revealed symmetrical genitalia with nonpalpable gonads, clitiromegaly(CI=135mm2) and a single urogenital opening (Prader stage 3). Biochemical evaluation revealed elevated levels of serum testosterone (812ng/dl), 17-hydroxy progesterone (164.8 ng/ml), DHEAS (503 µg/dl) and PRA of 42ng/ml/hr. Case 3: 26 year old female presented with complaint of noticing excessive hair growth in androgen dependent areas. On examination there was short stature,modified FG score 16/36, pubic hair stage 5 with atrophied breasts. Genital examination revealed clitoromegaly (CI=75mm2) with Prader stage 2. Biochemical evaluation revealed elevated levels of serum testosterone (254.2 ng/dl), 17-hydroxy progesterone (351.8 ng/ml), DHEAS (296.2 µg/dl) and PRA of 30ng/ml/hr. Karyotype in all the three patients was 46,XX. All our patients had serum testosterone values in tumorous range, however imaging studies didnot reveal any evidence of malignancy in the adrenals except for occurrence of a single right adrenal nodule of size 2×2.1cm with precontrast HU of <10 and absolute contrast washout of >60% in case 2. Based on clinical and biochemical findings a diagnosis of classic CAH was made. They were started on corticosteroid and mineralocorticoid replacement. In all of the above three patients none of them had been evaluated for the presenting complaints prior to visiting our centre. Failure of implementation of neonatal screening for CAH in many centres in India and the social stigma associated with genital ambiguity are contributory to the delay in diagnosis of CAH.
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