Diagnosis and Treatment > Medication > Losartan
You are looking at 1 - 4 of 4 items
Search for other papers by Skand Shekhar in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Rasha Haykal in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Crystal Kamilaris in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Constantine A Stratakis in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Fady Hannah-Shmouni in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Summary
A 29-year-old primigravida woman with a known history of primary aldosteronism due to a right aldosteronoma presented with uncontrolled hypertension at 5 weeks of estimated gestation of a spontaneous pregnancy. Her hypertension was inadequately controlled with pharmacotherapy which lead to the consideration of surgical management for her primary aldosteronism. She underwent curative right unilateral adrenalectomy at 19 weeks of estimated gestational age. The procedure was uncomplicated, and her blood pressure normalized post-operatively. She did, however, have a preterm delivery by cesarean section due to intrauterine growth retardation with good neonatal outcome. She is normotensive to date.
Learning points:
-
Primary aldosteronism is the most common etiology of secondary hypertension with an estimated prevalence of 5–10% in the hypertensive population.
-
It is important to recognize the subtypes of primary aldosteronism given that certain forms can be treated surgically.
-
Hypertension in pregnancy is associated with significantly higher maternal and fetal complications.
-
Data regarding the treatment of primary aldosteronism in pregnancy are limited.
-
Adrenalectomy can be considered during the second trimester of pregnancy if medical therapy fails to adequately control hypertension from primary aldosteronism.
Search for other papers by Silvia M Becerra-Bayona in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Víctor Alfonso Solarte-David in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Banco Multitejidos y Centro de Terapias Avanzadas, Fundación Oftalmológica de Santander, Clínica Carlos Ardila Lulle – FOSCAL, Floridablanca, Colombia
Search for other papers by Claudia L Sossa in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Ligia C Mateus in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Martha Villamil in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Jorge Pereira in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Martha L Arango-Rodríguez in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Summary
Diabetic foot ulcer morbidity and mortality are dramatically increasing worldwide, reinforcing the urgency to propose more effective interventions to treat such a devastating condition. Previously, using a diabetic mouse model, we demonstrated that administration of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells derivatives is more effective than the use of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells alone. Here, we used the aforementioned treatments on three patients with grade 2 diabetic foot ulcers and assessed their beneficial effects, relative to the conventional approach. In the present study, two doses of cell derivatives, one dose of mesenchymal stem cells or one dose of vehicle (saline solution with 5% of human albumin), were intradermally injected around wounds. Wound healing process and changes on re-epithelialization were macroscopically evaluated until complete closure of the ulcers. All ulcers were simultaneously treated with conventional treatment (PolyMen® dressing). Patients treated with either cell derivatives or mesenchymal stem cells achieved higher percentages of wound closure in shorter times, relative to the patient treated with the conventional treatment. The cell derivative and mesenchymal stem cells approaches resulted in complete wound closure and enhanced skin regeneration at some point between days 35 and 42, although no differences between these two treatments were observed. Moreover, wounds treated with the conventional treatment healed after 161 days. Intradermal administration of cell derivatives improved wound healing to a similar extent as mesenchymal stem cells. Thus, our results suggest that mesenchymal stem cell derivatives may serve as a novel and potential therapeutic approach to treat diabetic foot ulcers.
Learning points:
-
In diabetic mouse models, the administration of mesenchymal stem cells derivatives have been demonstrated to be more effective than the use of marrow mesenchymal stem cells alone.
-
Mesenchymal stem cells have been explored as an attractive therapeutic option to treat non-healing ulcers.
-
Mesenchymal stem cells derivatives accelerate the re-epithelialization on diabetic foot ulcers.
Search for other papers by Michal Barabas in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Isabel Huang-Doran in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Debbie Pitfield in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Hazel Philips in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Manoj Goonewardene in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Ruth T Casey in
Google Scholar
PubMed
IMED Biotech Unit, Clinical Discovery Unit, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
Search for other papers by Benjamin G Challis in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Summary
A 67-year-old woman presented with a generalised rash associated with weight loss and resting tachycardia. She had a recent diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Biochemical evaluation revealed elevated levels of circulating glucagon and chromogranin B. Cross-sectional imaging demonstrated a pancreatic lesion and liver metastases, which were octreotide-avid. Biopsy of the liver lesion confirmed a diagnosis of well-differentiated grade 2 pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour, consistent with metastatic glucagonoma. Serial echocardiography commenced 4 years before this diagnosis demonstrated a progressive left ventricular dilatation and dysfunction in the absence of ischaemia, suggestive of glucagonoma-associated dilated cardiomyopathy. Given the severity of the cardiac impairment, surgical management was considered inappropriate and somatostatin analogue therapy was initiated, affecting clinical and biochemical improvement. Serial cross-sectional imaging demonstrated stable disease 2 years after diagnosis. Left ventricular dysfunction persisted, however, despite somatostatin analogue therapy and optimal medical management of cardiac failure. In contrast to previous reports, the case we describe demonstrates that chronic hyperglucagonaemia may lead to irreversible left ventricular compromise. Management of glucagonoma therefore requires careful and serial evaluation of cardiac status.
Learning points:
-
In rare cases, glucagonoma may present with cardiac failure as the dominant feature. Significant cardiac impairment may occur in the absence of other features of glucagonoma syndrome due to subclinical chronic hyperglucagonaemia.
-
A diagnosis of glucagonoma should be considered in patients with non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy, particularly those with other features of glucagonoma syndrome.
-
Cardiac impairment due to glucagonoma may not respond to somatostatin analogue therapy, even in the context of biochemical improvement.
-
All patients with a new diagnosis of glucagonoma should be assessed clinically for evidence of cardiac failure and, if present, a baseline transthoracic echocardiogram should be performed. In the presence of cardiac impairment these patients should be managed by an experienced cardiologist.
Search for other papers by Fernando Gomez-Peralta in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Pablo Velasco-Martínez in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Cristina Abreu in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by María Cepeda in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Marta Fernández-Puente in
Google Scholar
PubMed
Summary
Methimazole (MMI) and propylthiouracil (PTU) are widely used antithyroid drugs (ATD) that have been approved for the treatment of hyperthyroidism. Hepatotoxicity may be induced by these drugs, though they exert dissimilar incidence rates of hepatotoxicity and, possibly, with different underlying pathogenic mechanisms. We report the case of a 55-year-old woman with no relevant medical history diagnosed with hyperthyroidism due to Graves’ disease, who developed two episodes of acute hepatitis concurrent with the consecutive administration of two different ATDs, first MMI and then PTU. Given the impossibility of administering ATDs, it was decided to perform a total thyroidectomy because the patient was found to be euthyroid at that point. Pathological anatomy showed diffuse hyperplasia and a papillary thyroid microcarcinoma of 2 mm in diameter. Subsequent clinical check-ups were normal. This case suggests the importance of regular monitoring of liver function for hyperthyroid patients. Due to the potential severity of this side effect, it is recommended to determine baseline liver function prior to initiation of treatment.
Learning points:
-
We present a rare case of two acute hepatitis episodes concurrent with two different consecutive ATD therapies.
-
Our results highlight the relevance of a liver function monitoring during the treatment with MMI or PTU.
-
A baseline assessment of the liver function before starting an ATD treatment should be recommendable.
