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Subclinical hypercortisolism among polycythemia vera patients
Oktay Bilgir1, Levent Kebapcilar, Inci Alacacioglu
1Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Izmir Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkey.
Internal Medicine (Tokyo, Japan)
|July 8, 2010
Summary
Polycythemia vera (PV) patients show a higher prevalence of subclinical hypercortisolism (SH). Further research is needed to evaluate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in PV.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Hematology
- Oncology
Background:
- Polycythemia vera (PV) is linked to the JAK2V617F mutation.
- The JAK2 gene is crucial for the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and steroid secretion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if PV is associated with subclinical hypercortisolism (SH).
Main Methods:
- A case-controlled study compared 31 PV patients with 20 matched controls.
- Adrenal endocrine function was assessed using serum cortisol and dexamethasone suppression tests (DST).
Main Results:
- PV patients exhibited a trend towards higher serum cortisol levels compared to controls.
- Six out of 31 PV patients were diagnosed with subclinical hypercortisolism.
- No control subjects showed abnormal cortisol responses to DST.
Conclusions:
- A significant prevalence of hypercortisolism was observed in PV patients.
- Further studies are recommended to fully understand HPA axis function in PV.
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