Top 5 Most-Read Endocrinology Articles of 2021

This year’s most-read articles on endocrinology posted at AJMC.com were concentrated in 3 areas: hormone therapy, treatment for growth hormone deficiency (GHD) among pediatric patients, and outcomes among women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Here are the 5 most-read endocrinology articles of 2021.

5. HRT Not Linked to Increased Dementia Risk, Study Says

This large study from the United Kingdom showed that hormone replacement therapy (HRT)—even when accounting for hormone type, dose, or duration—likely does not increase the risk of dementia among women. Using the QResearch and CPRD databases, which are linked to hospital records, equal amounts of women with and without dementia had used HRT within 3 years of their diagnosis. In addition, there was a slightly lower risk of dementia among the subgroup of women younger than 80 years taking estrogen-only therapy for 10 years or more.

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4. Neck Circumference May Indicate Metabolic Risk in Women With PCOS

Positive correlations between neck circumference (NC) and body mass index, waist circumference (WC), and metabolic syndrome point to the potential of NC as a suitable method of gauging the risk of endocrine and metabolic disorders among women with PCOS. The study authors were seeking a more efficient and reliable way to evaluate metabolic risk that did not involve WC, and they noted that NC may be used to estimate subcutaneous adipose tissue in the upper body.

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3. Validated Measure Assesses the Impact of Treatment for Growth Hormone Deficiency in Children

The observer-reported outcome of the Growth Hormone Deficiency-Child Impact Measure (GHD-CIM) was shown to be a reliable tool to measure the effects of growth hormone treatment on patients, specifically their quality of life and annual height velocity. This 33-item measure has 2 options: patient-reported outcomes among children aged 9 to 13 years who have GHD and their parents/guardians’ answers regarding observed outcomes. The authors added that they intend the GHD-CIM to also evaluate new therapies’ impact on GHD.

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2. Children With GHD Experience Low Self-Esteem, Impaired Psychosocial Functioning, Study Shows

These study results from Ukraine on 46 prepubescent children show that self-esteem, psychosocial functioning, and being able to conceptualize internal problems all suffer among children with GHD. Potentially effective methods of care may be therapy with optimal growth response, identifying psychosocial problems among children with GHD early, and psychotherapeutic care.

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1. Pregnancy May Carry Higher Risk of Abnormal Glucose Metabolism vs PCOS

A retrospective cross-sectional study of pregnant women and women with PCOS showed widely varied results between these 2 patients groups regarding the need to take an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). During the 7-year study period, there was an almost 69-percentage-point drop among those in the pregnant cohort taking an OGTT vs the same percentage-point increase among the PCOS cohort. However, the pregnant cohort also was more likely to have abnormal OGTT results, indicating that pregnancy may carry with it an elevated risk of abnormal influence on glucose metabolism.

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