Search

The upsurge of type 2 diabetes mellitus is a major public health concern in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Africa (AFR) region, with cardiorenal complications (CRCs) being the predominant cause of premature morbidity and mortality. High prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors, lack of awareness among patients and physicians, deficient infrastructure, and economic constraints lead to a cascade of CRCs at a significantly earlier age in MENA and AFR. In this review, we present consensus recommendations by experts in MENA and AFR, highlighting region-specific challenges and potential solutions for management of CRCs. Health professionals who understand sociocultural barriers can significantly increase patient awareness and encourage health-seeking behavior through simple educational tools. Increasing physician knowledge on early identification of CRCs and personalized treatment based on risk stratification, alongside optimum glycemic control, can mitigate therapeutic inertia. Early diagnosis of high-risk people with regular and systematic monitoring of cardiorenal parameters, development of region-specific care pathways for timely referral to specialists, followed by guideline-recommended care with novel antidiabetics are imperative. Adherence to guideline-recommended care can catalyze utilization of sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists with demonstrated cardiorenal benefits-thus paving the way for overcoming care gaps in a cost-effective manner. Leveraging digital technology like electronic medical records can help generate real-world data and provide insights on voids in adoption of newer antidiabetic medications. A patient-centric approach, collaborative care among physicians from different specialties, alongside involvement of policy makers are key for improving patient outcomes and quality of care in MENA and AFR.2型糖尿病是中东及北非(MENA)和非洲(AFR)地区的一大公共卫生问题，心肾并发症(CRC)是过早发病和死亡的主要原因。心脏代谢危险因素的高发、患者和医生缺乏认识、基础设施不足以及经济限制导致MENA和AFR患者的CRC年龄显著提前。在这篇综述中，我们提出了MENA和AFR地区专家的共识和建议，强调了区域特有的挑战和潜在的区域控制中心管理解决方案。了解社会文化障碍的卫生专业人员可以通过简单的教育工具显著提高患者的意识并鼓励寻求健康的行为。增加医生在早期识别CRC和基于风险分层的个性化治疗方面的知识，同时更好地控制血糖，从而减轻治疗的惰性。必须对高危人群进行早期诊断，对心肾功能进行定期和系统的监测，制定特定区域的护理路径，及时转诊至专家，然后根据指南建议的治疗，使用新型抗糖尿病药物。遵循指南推荐的治疗可以使用钠葡萄糖共转运体2抑制剂和胰高血糖素样肽1受体激动剂，它们已被证明对心肾有好处，从而以经济高效的方式为治疗技术的鸿沟铺平道路。利用数字技术，如电子病历，可以辅助生成真实世界的数据，以填补对较新的抗糖尿病药物效果观察的空白。以患者为中心的方法、不同专科医生之间的协作护理以及政策制定者的参与是改善MENA和AFR地区患者结局和治疗质量的关键。.

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major health problem in Egypt with a high impact on morbidity, mortality, and healthcare resources. This study evaluated the budget impact and the...

Background: Meningioma is a rare association of Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN 1) and very few cases has been reported in literature. Clinical Case: a 75-year-old woman showed severe headache, disturbed consciousness and convulsions. A diagnosis of cerebral meningioma was made and surgical excision was done, histopathological examination confirmed meningioma; patient was transferred to the ICU postoperatively for monitoring. Patient’s consciousness was not regained in full and remained in delirium, follow up investigations revealed: serum calcium of 13.2 mg/dl (8.5 to 10.5 mg/dl), serum sodium 141 mmol/L (135-145 mmol/L) and potassium 4.9 mmol/L (3.5-5 mmol/L), serum parathormone of 850 pg/mL (10-65 pg/mL), primary hyperparathyroidism was suspected; further investigations revealed inferior parathyroid adenoma on ultrasound which elicited focal tracer uptake on sesta-mibi parathyroid scintigraphy. Patient did excision of the lesion and was confirmed by histopathological examination to be parathyroid adenoma. Patient recovered well postoperatively, consciousness was regained and no neurological defects ware present. Genetic studies where performed and was found positive for MEN type 1 gene. Whole body Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT was then done to exclude any associated tumors and no tracer uptake was found. Patient was discharged, family members were offered genetic analysis and were counselled on the importance of screening. Conclusion: MEN type 1 can rarely present with meningiomas with symptoms very similar and easily confused with hypercalcemia and the diagnosis can be missed.

Background and objective: Hypercortisolism is the hall mark of ACTH Cushing’s syndrome, which is a benign ACTH secreting tumor resulting in high morbidity and mortality. The diagnosis is based on an elevated serum ACTH, elevated 24h urinary cortisol or a non-suppressible ACTH after dexamethasone suppression test. Confirmation of ACTH hypersecretion is followed by localization of the adenoma which can be pituitary in origin or peripheral. Dynamic MRI of the pituitary gland is the gold standard for diagnosis of pituitary tumors, and contrast enhanced CT scan is the gold standard for ectopic lesions which are usually lung tumors. The localization of the lesion is often a challenge because conventional MRI fail to show pituitary lesions and sometimes requiring inferior petrosal sinus sampling to confirm pituitary origin. Transsphenoidal surgery is the treatment of choice for Cushing’s disease, even without MRI evidence of pituitary tumors, if pituitary origin is confirmed by inferior petrosal sinus sampling. This causes increase in the incidence of treatment failure and complications. Thus, the diagnosis of Cushing’s disease urges exploring new diagnostic modalities. In our study we test the sensitivity of 11C methionine PET CT together with dynamic pituitary MRI in localization of ACTH dependent Cushing’s disease. Materials and methods This is an interventional, prospective study, forty-one subjects: newly diagnosed ACTH dependent Cushing’s Syndrome (n=29). (indicated by non-suppressible ACTH on dexamethasone suppression test) or persistent hypercortisolism following transsphenoidal surgery (n=12). 11C methionine PET CT was done in all cases in addition to dynamic pituitary MRI. All patients underwent 11 C-methionine PET-CT in addition to dynamic pituitary MRI This allowed us to determine whether suspected adenomas seen on structural imaging exhibited focal tracer uptake on functional imaging.Inclusion Criteria:• Aged 18 years old or over• Patient with a diagnosed Cushing’s disease confirmed by non-suppressible ACTH on dexamethasone suppression test.• Patient with persistent ACTH dependent Cushing’s disease following transsphenoidal surgery.• Patient not enrolled in other interventional studies.Exclusion Criteria:• Contraindication to MRI• Pregnant woman, breastfeeding RESULTS: Patients with newly diagnosed ACTH dependent Cushing: 24 out of 29 of the cases showed adenoma on dynamic MRI of the pituitary; 5 out of 29 cases failed to showed any lesions on dynamic MRI of the pituitary; Inferior petrosal sampling was done and confirmed pituitary origin in 4 out of 5 and 1 out of 5 was found to have ectopic ACTH secretion. In patients with persistent hypercortisolism following transsphenoidal surgery; 3 out of 12 of the cases showed adenoma on dynamic MRI of the pituitary and 7 out of 12 cases failed to showed any lesions on dynamic MRI of the pituitary and inferior petrosal sampling was done and confirmed pituitary origin in all 12 cases. All 41 cases underwent 11C methionine PET CT scan; 39 patients showed tracer uptake on 11c methionine PET CT scan in the pituitary area, 36 of which had unilateral asymmetrical tracer uptake. All 40 subjects with suspected pituitary lesions were confirmed to be of pituitary origin by histopathological examination of biopsies taken intraoperatively. CONCLUSIONS 11C methionine PET CT has proven to be of very high sensitivity in detecting ACTH secreting adenomas, further studies should be done on a larger scale as this modality can address the pitfalls in localization of ACTH secreting lesions.

With the growing prevalence of type 2 diabetes, particularly in emerging countries, its management in the context of available resources should be considered. International guidelines, while comprehensive and scientifically valid, may not be appropriate for regions such as Asia, Latin America or Africa, where epidemiology, patient phenotypes, cultural conditions and socioeconomic status are different from America and Europe. Although glycaemic control and reduction of micro- and macrovascular outcomes remain essential aspects of treatment, access and cost are major limiting factors; therefore, a pragmatic approach is required in restricted-resource settings. Newer agents, such as sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists in particular, are relatively expensive, with limited availability despite potentially being valuable for patients with insulin resistance and cardiovascular complications. This review makes a case for the role of more accessible second-line treatments with long-established efficacy and affordability, such as sulfonylureas, in the management of type 2 diabetes, particularly in developing or restricted-resource countries.

The normal range of thyroid functions during pregnancy differs between ethnic groups. This study assessed the thyroid functions in normal pregnant Egyptian females. Thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO Abs) and thyroid volume were also assessed. The study included 150 normal pregnant Egyptian females, recruited from Cairo University Hospital Antenatal Care Clinic (50 in each trimester), with 40 age-matched non-pregnant females, as a control group. Serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and TPO Abs were measured. Thyroid volume was assessed by ultrasonography. TSH ranges were 0.21-1.7, 0.52-3.2 and 0.72-2.6 mIU/L during first, second and third trimesters, respectively. The mean TSH level in pregnant females was significantly lower than that of non-pregnant women (1.2 ± 0.7 vs 2.7 ± 0.9 mIU/L

Background: Pheochromocytomas & Paragangliomas (PCC/PGL) are amongst the rare endocrine tumours, occurring with an incidence of 0.8 per 100,0001. Though most of them have a benign nature, they are usually hormonally active causing significant cardiovascular morbidity due to the catecholamine secretion. Approximately a third of PCC/PGL have underlying germline mutations including Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Clinical Case: A 49 year old man was reviewed for symptoms of palpitation, headache, sweating, and blurred vision. physical examination revealed signs of NF1. He had multiple neurofibromas over the skin of the back, chest and neck, café-au-lait spots on the trunk and limbs. Ophthalmology assessment revealed multiple Lisch nodules bilaterally. Urinary catecholamines were significantly elevated. His initial systolic blood pressure was 190/148 mmHg. The patient’s medical history included hypertension that used to be well-controlled with Amlodipine 10 mg and Bisoprolol 5mg. however his blood pressure was harder to control during the past year. Laboratory investigations testing included measurements of urinary fractionated metanephrines which revealed high normetanephrines with a value of 690 nmol/d (N < 240). metanephrines (485 nmol/d: N < 275) and norepinephrines (456 nmol/d: N < 440). Plasma free normetanephrines were 3.20 nmol/L (N

Lesson We report a case of Addison's disease presenting with recurrent deep venous thrombosis and thrombocytopenia and proved to have primary anti-phospholipid antibody syndrome. The case report highlights the shared autoimmune nature of both diseases.

Background The effect of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) on myocardial function is still controversial. Aim To examine the usefulness of speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) in detecting subclinical left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in asymptomatic T1DM patients and detect whether any LV abnormalities are related to duration or control of DM. Methods Sixty young T1DM patients and 30 controls were subjected to conventional echocardiography and STE. The left ventricular (LV) peak systolic (PS) global longitudinal strain (GLS)/strain rate (GLSR) and diastolic global strain rate during the isovolumic relaxation period (GSRivr), early diastole (GSRe) and late diastole (GSRa) were calculated as the average of the 12 myocardial segments of the four and two-chamber views while the mid circumferential strain (MCS) was calculated as the average of strains of the 6 LV segments of the mid LV cavity. Results In diabetic patients, the LV end diastolic dimension (LVEDD) was significantly lower ( p = 0.000) while the LV myocardial performance index (LVMPI) and E/lateral E′ ratio were significantly higher ( p = 0.000 and p = 0.02 respectively) compared to controls. By STE, only the GLS was significantly lower in diabetic patients compared to controls ( p = 0.000). A significant negative correlation was detected between LDL-C and GLS ( r = −0.4; p = 0.002). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified HbA1c as the only independent predictor of GLS in patients (beta = −0.34, 95% CI: −0.67 to −0.19; p = 0.001). Conclusion STE is useful to detect subclinical LV dysfunction in asymptomatic patients with T1DM. Control of DM but not duration of disease was an independent predictor of LV systolic dysfunction.