Atypical femoral fractures (AFFs) are rare adverse effects of bisphosphonate therapy. We report an unusual case of bilateral diaphyseal AFFs in an antiresorptive-naïve Singaporean Chinese female with Graves' disease. She presented with complete right AFF requiring surgical fixation, and persistent left incomplete AFF for over four years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the gold standard method for measuring bone mineral density (BMD) which is most strongly associated with fracture risk. BMD is therefore the basis for the World Health Organization's densitometric definition of osteoporosis. The International Society for Clinical Densitometry (ISCD) promotes best densitometry practices and its official positions reflect critical review of current evidence by domain experts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAfter 15 months of preparation by task force chairs and teams, ISCD's 9th Position Development Conference (PDC) convened in Northbrook, IL, USA on March 28th and 29th, 2023 to approve new ISCD Official Positions in the topic areas of DXA Reporting, Follow-up BMD Testing and TBS Application and Reporting. Three teams of participants work to bring the PDC to fruition: the Steering Committee, Task Forces and Chairs, and the Expert Panel. To reach agreement on draft Official Positions, the PDC follows a scripted process with the UCLA/RAND Appropriateness Method (UCLA/RAM) as its foundation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLong-term proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use has been associated with hypomagnesemia. It is unknown how frequently PPI use is implicated in patients with severe hypomagnesemia, and its clinical course or risk factors. All patients with severe hypomagnesemia from 2013 to 2016 in a tertiary center were assessed for likelihood of PPI-related hypomagnesemia using Naranjo algorithm, and we described the clinical course.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Primary aldosteronism (PA) is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events. However, treatment of PA has not been shown to improve left ventricular (LV) systolic function using the conventional assessment with LV ejection fraction (LVEF). We aim to use speckle-tracking echocardiography to assess for improvement in subclinical systolic function after treatment of PA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: A significant treatment gap has been observed in patients with osteoporosis. Our previous audit found a 31.5% rate of anti-osteoporosis medication initiation after fragility fractures at one year.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Studies have found that not all atypical femoral fractures (AFF) are associated with bisphosphonate (BP) use. There are limited data on AFF in non-BP patients. In this study, we characterise factors associated with BP and non-BP related AFF and its mortality in a single centre in Singapore.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe foundation of bone health is established . Bone accrual starts from the developing fetus and continues throughout childhood and adolescence. This process is crucial to achieve peak bone mass.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBisphosphonates (BP) are the most commonly prescribed effective form of osteoporosis treatment with adverse effects associated with prolonged use such as atypical femoral fractures (AFF). Asians have an elevated risk of AFF at 5 to 6 times those of whites and Hispanics. In this study, we characterize factors associated with AFF and its mortality in a single center in Singapore.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Diabetes mellitus is associated with inadequate delivery of oxygen to tissues. Cellular hypoxia is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction which increases oxidative stress and hyperglycaemia. Hyperbaric oxygenation therapy, which was shown to improve insulin sensitivity, is impractical for regular use.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In addition to increased cardiovascular risk, patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) also suffer from impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and psychological symptoms. We assessed for changes in HRQoL and depressive symptoms in a cohort of Asian patients with PA, after surgical and medical therapy.
Methods: Thirty-four patients with PA were prospectively recruited and completed questionnaires from 2017 to 2020.
Introduction: Studies show trabecular bone score (TBS) may provide information regarding bone quality independent of bone mineral density (BMD) in type 2 diabetes (DM2) patients. We analyzed our Southeast Asian severe osteoporotic hip fracture patients to study these differences.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of subjects admitted to Changi General Hospital, Singapore with severe osteoporotic hip fractures from 2014-2017 who had BMD performed.
Clin Endocrinol (Oxf)
February 2021
Context: Studies find surgery superior to medications in the treatment of primary aldosteronism (PA). It would be ideal to compare surgical and medical therapy in patients with unilateral PA only, who have the option between these treatment modalities. However, this is challenging as most patients with unilateral PA on adrenal vein sampling (AVS) undergo surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: A guide to the clinician on the use of dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry bone densitometry for the management of osteoporosis and the importance of recognizing its pitfalls.
Purpose: Osteoporosis is a major risk factor for severe fractures in the aging population worldwide, posing a serious public health issue. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is and remains the main tool for screening of osteoporosis and monitoring of osteoporosis treatment through quantitative measurement of bone mineral density (BMD).
Despite being a tropical country, vitamin D deficiency is common in Singapore. All young Singaporean males between the age of 18 and 21 years have to undergo mandatory military service. Stress fractures occur in military recruits, and risk factors include a sudden increase in physical activity and vitamin D deficiency.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There is a global pandemic of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), especially in Asia. Singapore has a prevalence of T2DM at 10.5%, which is higher than the world average of 8.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims/introduction: Biosimilar insulin can reduce treatment costs, although the extent of its use is largely unknown. We examined biosimilar insulin use and its associations with the quality of glycemic control using the Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation register.
Materials And Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional analysis in 81,531 patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes enrolled into the Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation Program from 2007 to 2014.
Vitamin D deficiency is common and may contribute to osteopenia, osteoporosis and falls risk in the elderly. Screening for vitamin D deficiency is important in high-risk patients, especially for patients who suffered minimal trauma fractures. Vitamin D deficiency should be treated according to the severity of the deficiency.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProstate cancer is a leading cause of cancer death, frequently associated with widespread bone metastases. We report two cases of hypocalcemia following the first dose of denosumab in metastatic hormone refractory prostate cancer, the first case requiring 26 days of intravenous calcium therapy. This is the first report of prolonged hypocalcemia following denosumab in a patient with normal renal function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: We aimed to compare the precipitants of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) among patients admitted with diagnoses inclusive of ADHF (community patients) and patients admitted without ADHF but who developed it during their stay (hospital patients).
Methods: This was a prospective, analytical, observational study undertaken in the Austin Hospital, a major metropolitan teaching hospital (September 2008-February 2010). Consecutive patients admitted to a general medicine unit, and diagnosed and treated for ADHF were enrolled.
Objective: To examine the prevalence and prognostic implications of low serum testosterone levels in men with chronic liver disease.
Design: We conducted an observational study at a tertiary referral centre.
Patients And Measurements: Baseline serum testosterone was measured in 171 men presenting to the Victorian Liver Transplant Unit for liver transplant evaluation.