Quetiapine-Induced Central Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism has been associated with quetiapine, but the underlying mechanism is not well understood and has been presumed to result from thyroid gland dysfunction (primary hypothyroidism). We present a case of symptomatic quetiapine-induced hypothyroidism due to hypothalamic/pituitary gland dysfunction (central [secondary] hypothyroidism).

SUN-419 Quetiapine-Induced Central Hypothyroidism

Background: Thyroid dysfunction has been associated with the use of quetiapine, but the underlying mechanism is not well understood. The scant data published on quetiapine-induced hypothyroidism suggests that the hypothyroidism is primary. We present a pediatric patient who developed symptomatic central hypothyroidism while on quetiapine. Case: A 12-year-old girl with pervasive developmental disorder and multiple psychiatric issues presented with a 2-week history of extreme sleepiness and a 3 kg weight gain over 2 months. She denied constipation, skin or hair changes, irregular menses and temperature intolerance, and was otherwise in her usual state of health. Her medications included fluoxetine 75 mg/day and quetiapine 100 mg AM/125 mg PM. She had been on quetiapine for 1 year and her dose was increased 3 months prior to onset of symptoms. She had normal TFTs prior to initiation of quetiapine and no history of head trauma. Family history was significant for a maternal grandmother with hypothyroidism. Initial TFTs revealed Free T4 (FT4) 0.8 ng/dL (0.9-1.4), Free T3 (FT3) 3.2 pg/mL (3.3-4.8) and TSH 1.53 mIU/mL (0.5-4.3). Two weeks later, repeat TFTs showed FT4 (equilibrium dialysis) 0.8 ng/dL (1.0-2.4), FT3 3.1 pg/mL (3.3-4.8) and TSH 1.18 mIU/mL (0.5-4.3). She was started on levothyroxine (LT4) 25 mcg daily, and 1 month later she was evaluated by Pediatric Endocrinology. Her fatigue had improved, and her interim history and physical examination were unremarkable. Her weight was 50.6 kg and BMI was 21. TFTs showed FT4 (equilibrium dialysis) 1.1 ng/dL (1.0-2.4), FT3 3.5 pg/mL (3.3-4.8) and TSH 1.06 mIU/mL (0.50-4.30). Additional testing revealed IGF-1 595 ng/mL (178-636), FSH 7.8 U/L, LH 4.9 U/L, prolactin 6.6 mcg/L (2-25) and random cortisol 8.9 mcg/dL (5.0-25.0). LT4 was increased to 50 mcg daily, and 6 weeks later, TFTs showed FT4 0.9 ng/dL (0.9-1.4), FT3 3.4 pg/mL (3.3-4.8) and TSH 0.46 mIU/mL (0.5-4.30). Conclusion: This is the first report of quetiapine-induced central hypothyroidism. The drug manufacturer reports low T4 without change in TSH in up to 50% of patients treated with quetiapine in clinical trials, which is suggestive of central hypothyroidism. However, central hypothyroidism is not mentioned as the etiology of low T4 by the drug manufacturer or in any publications to date. The scant published literature describing quetiapine-associated thyroid dysfunction reports that the drug causes low T4 with either normal or elevated TSH, and that typically, only those with elevated TSH are treated with LT4. This suggests that the medical community presumes that quetiapine-induced hypothyroidism is primary. Our case suggests that quetiapine-associated hypothyroidism is central rather than primary in some, if not all, cases. We propose consideration of LT4 treatment for patients on quetiapine with low T4 and low, normal or elevated TSH.

Identical and Nonidentical Twins: Risk and Factors Involved in Development of Islet Autoimmunity and Type 1 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE

There are variable reports of risk of concordance for progression to islet autoantibodies and type 1 diabetes in identical twins after one twin is diagnosed. We examined development of positive autoantibodies and type 1 diabetes and the effects of genetic factors and common environment on autoantibody positivity in identical twins, nonidentical twins, and full siblings.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Subjects from the TrialNet Pathway to Prevention Study (N = 48,026) were screened from 2004 to 2015 for islet autoantibodies (GAD antibody [GADA], insulinoma-associated antigen 2 [IA-2A], and autoantibodies against insulin [IAA]). Of these subjects, 17,226 (157 identical twins, 283 nonidentical twins, and 16,786 full siblings) were followed for autoantibody positivity or type 1 diabetes for a median of 2.1 years.

RESULTS

At screening, identical twins were more likely to have positive GADA, IA-2A, and IAA than nonidentical twins or full siblings (all P < 0.0001). Younger age, male sex, and genetic factors were significant factors for expression of IA-2A, IAA, one or more positive autoantibodies, and two or more positive autoantibodies (all P ≤ 0.03). Initially autoantibody-positive identical twins had a 69% risk of diabetes by 3 years compared with 1.5% for initially autoantibody-negative identical twins. In nonidentical twins, type 1 diabetes risk by 3 years was 72% for initially multiple autoantibody-positive, 13% for single autoantibody-positive, and 0% for initially autoantibody-negative nonidentical twins. Full siblings had a 3-year type 1 diabetes risk of 47% for multiple autoantibody-positive, 12% for single autoantibody-positive, and 0.5% for initially autoantibody-negative subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

Risk of type 1 diabetes at 3 years is high for initially multiple and single autoantibody-positive identical twins and multiple autoantibody-positive nonidentical twins. Genetic predisposition, age, and male sex are significant risk factors for development of positive autoantibodies in twins.

Low-Dose Anti-Thymocyte Globulin (ATG) Preserves β-Cell Function and Improves HbA1c in New-Onset Type 1 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE

A pilot study suggested that combination therapy with low-dose anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) and pegylated granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) preserves C-peptide in established type 1 diabetes (T1D) (duration 4 months to 2 years). We hypothesized that 1) low-dose ATG/GCSF or 2) low-dose ATG alone would slow the decline of β-cell function in patients with new-onset T1D (duration <100 days).

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

A three-arm, randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial was performed by the Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet Study Group in 89 subjects: 29 subjects randomized to ATG (2.5 mg/kg intravenously) followed by pegylated GCSF (6 mg subcutaneously every 2 weeks for 6 doses), 29 to ATG alone (2.5 mg/kg), and 31 to placebo. The primary end point was mean area under the curve (AUC) C-peptide during a 2-h mixed-meal tolerance test 1 year after initiation of therapy. Significance was defined as one-sided P value < 0.025.

RESULTS

The 1-year mean AUC C-peptide was significantly higher in subjects treated with ATG (0.646 nmol/L) versus placebo (0.406 nmol/L) (P = 0.0003) but not in those treated with ATG/GCSF (0.528 nmol/L) versus placebo (P = 0.031). HbA_1c was significantly reduced at 1 year in subjects treated with ATG and ATG/GCSF, P = 0.002 and 0.011, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Low-dose ATG slowed decline of C-peptide and reduced HbA_1c in new-onset T1D. Addition of GCSF did not enhance C-peptide preservation afforded by low-dose ATG. Future studies should be considered to determine whether low-dose ATG alone or in combination with other agents may prevent or delay the onset of the disease.

A Type 1 Diabetes Genetic Risk Score Predicts Progression of Islet Autoimmunity and Development of Type 1 Diabetes in Individuals at Risk

OBJECTIVE

We tested the ability of a type 1 diabetes (T1D) genetic risk score (GRS) to predict progression of islet autoimmunity and T1D in at-risk individuals.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We studied the 1,244 TrialNet Pathway to Prevention study participants (T1D patients' relatives without diabetes and with one or more positive autoantibodies) who were genotyped with Illumina ImmunoChip (median [range] age at initial autoantibody determination 11.1 years [1.2-51.8], 48% male, 80.5% non-Hispanic white, median follow-up 5.4 years). Of 291 participants with a single positive autoantibody at screening, 157 converted to multiple autoantibody positivity and 55 developed diabetes. Of 953 participants with multiple positive autoantibodies at screening, 419 developed diabetes. We calculated the T1D GRS from 30 T1D-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms. We used multivariable Cox regression models, time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves, and area under the curve (AUC) measures to evaluate prognostic utility of T1D GRS, age, sex, Diabetes Prevention Trial-Type 1 (DPT-1) Risk Score, positive autoantibody number or type, HLA DR3/DR4-DQ8 status, and race/ethnicity. We used recursive partitioning analyses to identify cut points in continuous variables.

RESULTS

Higher T1D GRS significantly increased the rate of progression to T1D adjusting for DPT-1 Risk Score, age, number of positive autoantibodies, sex, and ethnicity (hazard ratio [HR] 1.29 for a 0.05 increase, 95% CI 1.06-1.6; P = 0.011). Progression to T1D was best predicted by a combined model with GRS, number of positive autoantibodies, DPT-1 Risk Score, and age (7-year time-integrated AUC = 0.79, 5-year AUC = 0.73). Higher GRS was significantly associated with increased progression rate from single to multiple positive autoantibodies after adjusting for age, autoantibody type, ethnicity, and sex (HR 2.27 for GRS >0.295, 95% CI 1.47-3.51; P = 0.0002).

CONCLUSIONS

The T1D GRS independently predicts progression to T1D and improves prediction along T1D stages in autoantibody-positive relatives.

Iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with Amyloid-β pathology: an international study

The presence of pathology related to the deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) has been recently reported in iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (iCJD) acquired from inoculation of growth hormone (GH) extracted from human cadaveric pituitary gland or use of cadaveric dura mater (DM) grafts.To investigate this phenomenon further, a cohort of 27 iCJD cases - 21 with adequate number of histopathological sections - originating from Australia, France, Italy, and the Unites States, were examined by immunohistochemistry, amyloid staining, and Western blot analysis of the scrapie prion protein (PrPSc), and compared with age-group matched cases of sporadic CJD (sCJD), Alzheimer disease (AD) or free of neurodegenerative diseases (non-ND).Cases of iCJD and sCJD shared similar profiles of proteinase K-resistant PrPSc with the exception of iCJD harboring the "MMi" phenotype. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), either associated with, or free of, Thioflavin S-positive amyloid core plaques (CP), was observed in 52% of 21 cases of iCJD, which comprised 37.5% and 61.5% of the cases of GH- and DM-iCJD, respectively. If only cases younger than 54 years were considered, Aβ pathology affected 41%, 2% and 0% of iCJD, sCJD and non-ND, respectively. Despite the patients' younger age CAA was more severe in iCJD than sCJD, while Aβ diffuse plaques, in absence of Aβ CP, populated one third of sCJD. Aβ pathology was by far most severe in AD. Tau pathology was scanty in iCJD and sCJD.In conclusion, (i) despite the divergences in the use of cadaveric GH and DM products, our cases combined with previous studies showed remarkably similar iCJD and Aβ phenotypes indicating that the occurrence of Aβ pathology in iCJD is a widespread phenomenon, (ii) CAA emerges as the hallmark of the Aβ phenotype in iCJD since it is observed in nearly 90% of all iCJD with Aβ pathology reported to date including ours, and it is shared by GH- and DM-iCJD, (iii) although the contributions to Aβ pathology of other factors, including GH deficiency, cannot be discounted, our findings increase the mounting evidence that this pathology is acquired by a mechanism resembling that of prion diseases.

Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet--an international collaborative clinical trials network

Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet is an international consortium of clinical research centers aimed at the prevention or delay of type 1 diabetes (T1D). The fundamental goal of TrialNet is to counter the T1D disease process by immune modulation and/or enhancement of beta cell proliferation and regeneration. To achieve this goal, TrialNet researchers are working to better understand the natural history of the disease, to identify persons at risk, and to clinically evaluate novel therapies that balance potential risks and benefits. The particular focus is on studies of preventive measures. In addition, TrialNet evaluates therapies in individuals with newly diagnosed T1D with preserved beta cell function to help determine the risk/benefit profile and gain an initial assessment of potential efficacy in preservation of beta cell function, so that promising agents can be studied in prevention trials. In addition, TrialNet evaluates methodologies that enhance the conduct of its clinical trials, which includes tests of outcome assessment methodology, the evaluation of surrogate markers, and mechanistic studies laying the foundation for future clinical trials.

Body image in adolescents with disorders of steroidogenesis

AIM

Little is known about body image in children with endocrine conditions. We evaluated body image in children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), familial male precocious puberty (FMPP), and Cushing's syndrome (CS).

STUDY DESIGN

We compared 67 patients (41 CAH, 12 FMPP, 14 CS) age 8-18 years with 55 age-matched controls.

RESULTS

Patients expressed more weight unhappiness than controls (females: p < 0.001; males: p = 0.01). This difference remained for females after adjusting for body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.03), but not for males (p = 0.12). Unhappiness with height and age of appearance was similar between groups. In female patients, higher BMI was a significant predictor of weight unhappiness (p = 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Adolescents with CAH, FMPP, and CS are at risk for negative body image regarding weight, but not height or age of appearance. Weight unhappiness is partially related to greater weight, but factors unrelated to physical findings seem to contribute to negative body image in female patients.

Effects of oral insulin in relatives of patients with type 1 diabetes: The Diabetes Prevention Trial--Type 1

OBJECTIVE

This randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled clinical trial tested whether oral insulin administration could delay or prevent type 1 diabetes in nondiabetic relatives at risk for diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We screened 103,391 first- and second-degree relatives of patients with type 1 diabetes and analyzed 97,273 samples for islet cell antibodies. A total of 3,483 were antibody positive; 2,523 underwent genetic, immunological, and metabolic staging to quantify risk of developing diabetes; 388 had a 5-year risk projection of 26-50%; and 372 (median age 10.25 years) were randomly assigned to oral insulin (7.5 mg/day) or placebo. Oral glucose tolerance tests were performed every 6 months. The median follow-up was 4.3 years, and the primary end point was diagnosis of diabetes.

RESULTS

Diabetes was diagnosed in 44 oral insulin and 53 placebo subjects. Annualized rate of diabetes was similar in both groups: 6.4% with oral insulin and 8.2% with placebo (hazard ratio 0.764, P = 0.189). In a hypothesis-generating analysis of a subgroup with insulin autoantibody (IAA) levels confirmed (on two occasions) > or =80 nU/ml (n = 263), there was the suggestion of benefit: annualized diabetes rate 6.2% with oral insulin and 10.4% with placebo (0.566, P = 0.015).

CONCLUSIONS

It is possible to identify individuals at high risk for type 1 diabetes and to enroll them in a large, multisite, randomized, controlled clinical trial. However, oral insulin did not delay or prevent type 1 diabetes. Further studies are needed to explore the potential role of oral insulin in delaying diabetes in relatives similar to those in the subgroup with higher IAA levels.

Suppression and recovery of GH secretion after GH injection in non-GH deficient short children

OBJECTIVE

To identify the effect of exogenous GH on endogenous GH secretion in 48 non-GH deficient short children participating in a placebo-controlled trial of GH therapy on final adult height.

DESIGN

Night GH secretion (mean of levels every 20 min from 20.00 to 08.00 h) was evaluated at baseline, 6 months before starting placebo or GH (somatotropin, 0.222 mg/kg/ week, divided into 3 doses each week). At 6 months after starting injections, blood samples for GH were obtained hourly for 24 h after an injection, and every 20 min on each of the next two nights (with no additional placebo or GH injection).

RESULTS

IGF-I levels in the treatment group were elevated at 12 and 24 h but not at 36 h compared to the placebo group. Mean GH levels in the placebo group did not vary significantly among the four sampling periods. In the treatment group, the mean serum GH rose to a supraphysiological peak at an average time of 4 h after injection. Subsequently, mean GH level was significantly suppressed compared to placebo on the second night following GH injection, but returned to normal by the third night.

CONCLUSION

After 6 months of a thrice weekly GH treatment regimen in non-GH deficient short children, endogenous GH secretion was reduced from 24 to 36 h after injection compared to placebo and returned to control levels by 48 to 60 h after injection.

Severe hemolytic disease of the newborn caused by anti-Gonzales antibody

We report on a female infant with severe hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) secondary to anti-Gonzales antibody (anti-Go(a)) necessitating an exchange transfusion within the first day of life. The infant was born to a mother known to be Gonzales-antigen negative and a father who was Gonzales-antigen positive. The mother had an anti-Go(a) titer of 1:256 at 35 weeks' gestation. The infant was noted to have jaundice shortly after birth, with a bilirubin of 17.8 mg/dl (total) and .05 mg/dl (direct) at 11 hours of life. Coombs' test was positive and cord cells were Gonzales-antigen positive. Eluate on cord cells demonstrated anti-Go(a). Despite aggressive phototherapy, the total bilirubin reached 23.3 mg/dl by 24 hours of age and a double-volume exchange transfusion was performed. Following the exchange transfusion, phototherapy was continued for several days. The hemoglobin, which was 19.8 gm/dl at 11 hours of age, remained stable through the hospitalization, and no further transfusions were required. History revealed that two prior pregnancies resulted in Gonzales-antigen positive infants. The first child experienced mild jaundice requiring no therapy, and the second child required phototherapy for prolonged hyperbilirubinemia. Previous reported cases of anti-Go(a) suggest that this is not a cause of severe HDN. However, in view of the current case, it may be prudent to follow women with anti-Go(a) prenatally with amniotic fluid bilirubin studies, serial antibody titers, and fetal hemoglobin levels.