Pregnancy and the fetus
Introduction Pregnant women constitute a uniquely challenging patient population as clinical decisions cannot be made solely on the basis of the woman’s needs but must also consider the impact of…
Laboratory evaluation of endocrine hypertension
Introduction Hypertension is common, silent, and often deadly when not successfully treated . Hypertension’s initial presentation can include cardiovascular disease (CVD) or renal disease . Although many sources associate hypertension…
Disorders of calcium metabolism
Introduction Calcium is vital to many aspects of human biology . For example, calcium is involved in intracellular and intercellular signal transmissions, muscular contraction, coagulation, and bone biology. The body…
Laboratory evaluation of short stature in children
Introduction The evaluation of short stature in children requires a skilled interaction between the clinician and the laboratorian in order to provide a cost-effective and expedient diagnostic assessment of the…
Laboratory assessment of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome endocrinopathies
Individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) may manifest symptoms and signs of endocrine disorders or may present with incidental abnormal endocrine laboratory values…
Malignancy-associated endocrine disorders
Introduction Overall, cancers of the endocrine system comprise 3.1% of the 1,806,590 new cancer cases estimated for 2020 . The majority of cases (95%) are attributed to thyroid cancer, which…
Evaluation of hyperglycemia
Hyperglycemia: acute versus chronic Hyperglycemia is defined as an elevated plasma glucose (PG) concentration. Hyperglycemia can be classified as transient (acute) or sustained (chronic). Chronic hyperglycemia constitutes diabetes mellitus (which…
Lipoproteins
Background Two of the most abundant lipid components in plasma are cholesterol and triglycerides (TG); however, both are virtually insoluble in water. To be transported to various tissues, these lipids…
Evaluation of hypoglycemia
Introduction The body must be protected from hypoglycemia because severe acute hypoglycemia can cause seizures, coma, and even death . On the other hand, chronic hyperglycemia is toxic to blood…
Disorders of the adrenal gland
The adrenal gland produces glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, sex hormones, and catecholamines. Deficiency or excess of any of these hormones results in clinical disease. Aldosterone, a mineralocorticoid that regulates sodium and water…
