Endocrine Society, June 11-14

The annual meeting of the Endocrine Society was held from June 11 to 14 in Atlanta and attracted approximately 7,000 participants from around the world, including clinicians, academicians, allied health professionals, and others interested in endocrine and metabolic disorders. The conference highlighted recent advances in the diagnosis and management of obesity, endocrine disorders, diabetes, growth hormone, and thyroid diseases.

In a retrospective review, Michael A. Weintraub, M.D., of Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, and colleagues found that antiobesity medications combined with lifestyle changes can help overweight and obese individuals achieve long-term weight loss of 10 percent body weight.

The authors retrospectively evaluated 428 patients who presented to a weight management center to assess long-term weight loss with antiobesity pharmacotherapy over a three- to five-year time frame. Most patients were taking a combination of two to three antiobesity medications, including those approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration either to treat obesity or for another indication but found helpful for weight loss. The researchers found that patients lost and maintained an average total body weight of 10.4 percent over a median of 4.7 years, which was equivalent to a weight loss of 23 pounds. The most common medication taken by patients at the final visit was metformin (74 percent of patients). Other common medications were topiramate, phentermine, and bupropion.

"In the subset of patients who achieved more than 10 percent weight loss, which was 216 individuals, there were 92 unique medication combinations. Frequent follow-up with the health care provider is needed to see which treatment strategies are working or not working, so that adjustments can be made accordingly," Weintraub said. "This research can help guide medical practitioners toward designing personalized, accessible treatment regimens to aid patients in long-term weight loss."

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In another study, Geethika Thota, M.D., of Saint Peter's University Hospital/Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and colleagues found that early recognition, through screening and early intervention, to aggressively manage cardiovascular risk factors, including prediabetes, can help prevent myocardial infarction (MI).

The authors evaluated 1,794,149 weighted patient hospitalizations for MI drawn from the National Inpatient Sample database. The researchers found that prediabetes was associated with greater than 25 percent increased odds of MI, after adjusting for all the well-established risk factors for MI like prior history of MI, dyslipidemia, hypertension, nicotine dependence, and obesity. The researchers also found that prediabetes was associated with increased risk for percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass grafting, with odds 45 and 95 percent greater for these, respectively, suggesting the severity of coronary artery disease burden.

"Despite mounting evidence, many clinicians are unaware that prediabetes is also a major risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease," Thota said. "Our study serves as a wake-up call for clinicians and patients to shift the focus to preventing prediabetes and not just diabetes."

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Jennifer Dias, a medical student from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, and colleagues found that addressing perceived stress in the postpartum period may reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) who are at high risk for T2DM.

The authors identified factors associated with depressive symptoms in the early postpartum period among women with recent GDM from the Balance After Baby Intervention cohort, a two-year study for prevention of T2DM in women with GDM. The researchers found that increased levels of perceived stress predicted higher likelihood of postpartum depressive symptoms in women with recent GDM. Specifically, at the postpartum visit, 19 percent of women had postpartum depressive symptoms and 53 percent had moderate-to-high perceived stress. Multivariate regression modeling revealed that only perceived stress (odds ratio, 4.5) was predictive of postpartum depressive symptoms. All other variables or factors were not significant when controlling for cesarean section and whether or not it was a woman's first GDM pregnancy.

"GDM has been shown to increase the risk for postpartum depressive symptoms, or the 'maternity blues,' which can limit women's ability to practice healthy behaviors," Dias said in a statement. "To help address postpartum depressive symptoms, it may be important to provide support to decrease perceived stress."

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ENDO: Fracture Risk Up With Insulin Compared With Metformin in T2DM

FRIDAY, June 17, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with type 2 diabetes, fracture risk is increased with insulin use compared with metformin use, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, held from June 11 to 14 in Atlanta.

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ENDO: Coffee Does Not Impede Bioavailability of LT4 Solution

FRIDAY, June 17, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Bioavailability is equivalent for a single oral dose of levothyroxine sodium solution administered five minutes prior to coffee or under fasting conditions, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, held from June 11 to 14 in Atlanta.

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ENDO: Disparities Seen in Access to Insulin Pumps for Youth With T1D

WEDNESDAY, June 15, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- There are disparities in access to insulin pumps among youth with type 1 diabetes, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, held from June 11 to 14 in Atlanta.

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ENDO: Guidelines Updated for Hospitalized Adults With Hyperglycemia

TUESDAY, June 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- An updated Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline for the management of hospitalized patients with diabetes or newly recognized or stress-induced hyperglycemia was published online June 12 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism to coincide with presentation at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, held from June 11 to 14 in Atlanta.

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ENDO: Fezolinetant Cuts Vasomotor Symptoms in Menopause

TUESDAY, June 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Fezolinetant reduces the frequency and severity of moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, held from June 11 to 14 in Atlanta.

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