Endocrinology

Primary Aldosteronism

Nathan Hinkle — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Date Added:

September 9, 2026

Journal/Publication:

JAMA Intern Med

Publisher:

The American Medical Association

Publication Date:

September 8, 2026

Pages:

E1-E2

URL:

Primary Aldosteronism

Type:

Meta-analyses, Reviews, and Guidelines

CME Credits:

Format:

Article

DOI (1):

doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2026.4155

Keywords

primary aldosteronism

MeSH

RPR Commentary: A review of primary aldosteronism, a treatable condition present in approximately 6% in adult primary care patients to 29% of patients with treatment-resistant hypertension. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

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Primary aldosteronism (PA) is an endocrine disorder that results from aldosterone overproduction by the adrenal glands, independent of physiological stimuli (hyperkalemia or renin). Symptomatic PA can cause hypertension and hypokalemia, but PA exists across a spectrum of severity from subclinical disease to treatment-resistant hypertension and from normokalemia to severe hypokalemia. PA remains underdiagnosed despite the fact that targeted therapies can reduce morbidity and mortality.1,2 This Clinical Insights article provides clinicians with a practical approach to diagnosing and managing PA.

Author/s:

Emily P. Marogi, Lisa Dubrofsky, Robert J. Weber

Hypothyroidism: A Review

Megan George — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 20:17:56 +0000

Date Added:

September 4, 2025

Journal/Publication:

JAMA

Publication Date:

September 3, 2025

URL:

Hypothyroidism: A Review

Type:

Meta-analyses, Reviews, and Guidelines

Format:

Article

DOI (1):

10.1001/jama.2025.13559

Keywords

PMID (1):

40900603

MeSH

A review of what we currently understand about hypothyroidism. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

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Importance: Hypothyroidism is a disease of thyroid hormone deficiency. The prevalence ranges from 0.3% to 12% worldwide, depending on iodine intake, and it is more common in women and older adults. Untreated hypothyroidism can cause serious health complications such as heart failure and myxedema coma.

Observations: Hashimoto thyroiditis (an autoimmune disease) is the cause of primary hypothyroidism in up to 85% of patients with hypothyroidism living in areas with adequate nutritional iodine levels. The risk of developing hypothyroidism is associated with genetic factors (having a first-degree relative with hypothyroidism), environmental factors (iodine deficiency), undergoing neck surgery or receiving radiation therapy, pregnancy in the setting of underlying autoimmune thyroid disease, and with the use of certain medications (eg, immune checkpoint inhibitors and amiodarone). Patients with hypothyroidism may have nonspecific symptoms due to metabolic slowing, including fatigue (68%-83%), weight gain (24%-59%), cognitive issues (45%-48%) such as memory loss and difficulty concentrating, and menstrual irregularities (approximately 23%) such as oligomenorrhea and menorrhagia. Hypothyroidism can cause insulin resistance and hyperglycemia in patients with diabetes, increase the risk for cardiovascular events, such as heart failure, and negatively affect female reproductive health, causing disrupted ovulation, infertility, and increased risk of miscarriage. Untreated hypothyroidism may progress to severe hypothyroidism with decompensation (myxedema coma), which is a condition associated with hypothermia, hypotension, and altered mental status that requires treatment in an intensive care unit and has a mortality rate of up to 30%. Hypothyroidism is diagnosed based on biochemical testing; a high thyrotropin (TSH) level and a low free thyroxine (T4) level indicate overt primary hypothyroidism. Screening for hypothyroidism is not recommended for asymptomatic individuals. Targeted testing is recommended for patients who are considered high risk (eg, patients with type 1 diabetes). First-line treatment for hypothyroidism is synthetic levothyroxine to normalize thyrotropin levels. Initial dosages should be tailored to patient-specific factors. Lower starting doses should be used for older patients or those with atrial fibrillation and coronary artery disease. Thyrotropin monitoring should be performed 6 to 8 weeks after initiating levothyroxine treatment, or when changing the dose, and then annually once the thyrotropin level is at goal to avoid overtreatment or undertreatment, both of which are associated with cardiovascular health risks.

Conclusions and relevance: Hypothyroidism may be associated with fatigue, weight gain, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, cardiovascular disease such as heart failure, menstrual irregularities, infertility, and increased risk of miscarriage. Levothyroxine is the first-line treatment to normalize the thyrotropin level and improve clinical manifestations due to hypothyroidism.

Author/s:

Layal Chaker, Maria Papaleontiou

Opioid-Induced Adrenal Insufficiency

Erin Blanchette — Wed, 22 May 2024 23:12:22 +0000

Date Added:

May 22, 2024

Journal/Publication:

JAMA International Medicine

Publisher:

American Medical Association

Publication Date:

May 13, 2024

URL:

Opioid-Induced Adrenal Insufficiency

Type:

Meta-analyses, Reviews, and Guidelines

Format:

Article

DOI (1):

10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.0687

Keywords

Opioid-Related Disorders

Opioid Use

Hyponatremia

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

methadone

opioids

Endocrinology

Diabetes and Endocrinology

PMID (1):

38739374

MeSH

opioid-related disorders

Hyponatremia

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

methadone

Chronic use of opioids can result in suppression of the hypothalamic, pituitary, adrenal axis causing adrenal insufficiency in up to 15% of patients. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

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A woman in her 40s with opioid use disorder receiving methadone (70 mg daily) was admitted for extended antibiotic treatment for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. She had been taking methadone at varying doses (ranging from 15 to 70 mg daily) for 15 years.

Following the resolution of bacteremia, she experienced unexplained persistent hyponatremia (129 mEq/L) and dizziness, with her urine sodium levels exceeding 40 mEq/L. A high dose, 250-μg cosyntropin stimulation test was performed, which revealed her cortisol levels were 6.6, 17.2, and 19.2 μg/mL (to convert to nmol/L, multiply by 27.6) at baseline, 30 minutes, and 60 minutes, respectively. A serum adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) level was not measured.

Author/s:

Douglas Rice, Hirofumi Yoshida

Management of Outpatients With Diabetes at High Risk of Hypoglycemia

Erin Blanchette — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 16:29:29 +0000

Date Added:

March 26, 2024

Journal/Publication:

JAMA

Publisher:

American Medical Association

Publication Date:

March 14, 2024

URL:

Management of Outpatients With Diabetes at High Risk of Hypoglycemia

Type:

Meta-analyses, Reviews, and Guidelines

Format:

Article

DOI (1):

10.1001/jama.2024.1137

Keywords

diabetes

Diabetes and Endocrinology

Endocrinology

insulin

PMID (1):

38483370

MeSH

diabetes mellitus

diabetes mellitus, type 2

dipeptidyl-peptidase IV inhibitors

diabetes mellitus, type 1

blood glucose

Hypoglycemia

Insulins

Guidance for management of diabetes in patients at risk of hypoglycemia. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

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More than 30 million people in the US have diabetes, approximately 5% with type 1 and approximately 95% with type 2. About 5 million individuals in the US with type 2 diabetes use insulin and 7 million take sulfonylureas; both of these medications have a greater association with hypoglycemia than metformin, glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists, dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors, or sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors. Each month, 70% of people with type 1 diabetes experience some degree of hypoglycemia.1 Level 1 hypoglycemia is defined as blood glucose of 54 to 70 mg/dL; level 2 is less than 54 mg/dL; and severe hypoglycemia (level 3) occurs when low blood glucose levels cause neurologic or physical symptoms that require help from others. Furthermore, recurrent severe hypoglycemia increases risk of future dementia.2 Hypoglycemia occurs more often in people with lower education, lower income, and food insecurity.3 This synopsis focuses on outpatient management of diabetes with high risk of hypoglycemia; the guideline also addresses prevention of hypoglycemia in hospitalized patients.4

Author/s:

Celeste C Thomas, Karishma Chopra, Andrew M Davis

Thyroid Cancer: A Review

Erin Blanchette — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 16:44:44 +0000

Date Added:

February 19, 2024

Journal/Publication:

JAMA

Publisher:

American Medical Association

Publication Date:

February 6, 2024

Issue:

Volume:

331

Pages:

425-435

URL:

Thyroid Cancer: A Review

Type:

Meta-analyses, Reviews, and Guidelines

Format:

Article

DOI (1):

10.1001/jama.2023.26348

Keywords

Targeted and Immune Therapy

PMID (1):

38319329

MeSH

Thyroid Epithelial Cells

An update on thyroid cancer detection, types, and treatment. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

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Importance: Approximately 43 720 new cases of thyroid carcinoma are expected to be diagnosed in 2023 in the US. Five-year relative survival is approximately 98.5%. This review summarizes current evidence regarding pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of early-stage and advanced thyroid cancer.

Observations: Papillary thyroid cancer accounts for approximately 84% of all thyroid cancers. Papillary, follicular (≈4%), and oncocytic (≈2%) forms arise from thyroid follicular cells and are termed well-differentiated thyroid cancer. Aggressive forms of follicular cell-derived thyroid cancer are poorly differentiated thyroid cancer (≈5%) and anaplastic thyroid cancer (≈1%). Medullary thyroid cancer (≈4%) arises from parafollicular C cells. Most cases of well-differentiated thyroid cancer are asymptomatic and detected during physical examination or incidentally found on diagnostic imaging studies. For microcarcinomas (≤1 cm), observation without surgical resection can be considered. For tumors larger than 1 cm with or without lymph node metastases, surgery with or without radioactive iodine is curative in most cases. Surgical resection is the preferred approach for patients with recurrent locoregional disease. For metastatic disease, surgical resection or stereotactic body irradiation is favored over systemic therapy (eg, lenvatinib, dabrafenib). Antiangiogenic multikinase inhibitors (eg, sorafenib, lenvatinib, cabozantinib) are approved for thyroid cancer that does not respond to radioactive iodine, with response rates 12% to 65%. Targeted therapies such as dabrafenib and selpercatinib are directed to genetic mutations (BRAF, RET, NTRK, MEK) that give rise to thyroid cancer and are used in patients with advanced thyroid carcinoma.

Conclusions: Approximately 44 000 new cases of thyroid cancer are diagnosed each year in the US, with a 5-year relative survival of 98.5%. Surgery is curative in most cases of well-differentiated thyroid cancer. Radioactive iodine treatment after surgery improves overall survival in patients at high risk of recurrence. Antiangiogenic multikinase inhibitors and targeted therapies to genetic mutations that give rise to thyroid cancer are increasingly used in the treatment of metastatic disease.

Author/s:

Laura Boucai, Mark Zafereo, Maria E Cabanillas