title: The functional status of incidentally discovered bilateral adrenal lesions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate autonomous cortisol and aldosterone secretion and insulin resistance (IR) indices, in patients with incidentally discovered bilateral adrenal lesions (BA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-six patients with BA, 113 patients with unilateral adrenal incidentalomas (UA) and 89 healthy subjects (C) with normal adrenal imaging.
  
  
  METHODS
  All participants underwent adrenal imaging, baseline biochemical and hormonal measurements and the following investigations on consecutive days: (i) A 2-h oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) (75 g) with glucose and insulin measurements every 30 min. (ii) An adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH) stimulation test with intravenous (i.v.) bolus administration of 250 μg of ACTH (1-24) and measurement of serum cortisol and aldosterone before and after 30 and 60 min. (iii) A low-dose dexamethasone suppression test (LDDST) (0·5 mg of dexamethasone every 6-h for 2 days) with cortisol measurement 6 h after the last dexamethasone dose and (iv) A NaCl (0·9%) postdexamethasone saline infusion test (PD-SIT) (2 l of NaCl 0·9% iv in 4 h) following the LDDST, with aldosterone measurement at the end of the test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cortisol and aldosterone cut-offs based on the mean + 2 SD values obtained from the C group following the LDDST and PD-SITs were calculated (34·11 nm and 74·83 pm, respectively). Based on the above cut-offs, autonomous cortisol and aldosterone secretion was found in 42·5 and 15·9% of patients with UA, and in 41·7 and 19·4% of patients with BA, respectively. In addition, 17·7% of patients with UA and 19·4% of patients with BA had concomitant autonomous cortisol and aldosterone secretion. Cortisol and aldosterone levels following the LDDST and PD-SIT were significantly higher in the BA compared to the UA group, respectively. Furthermore, patients with BA had more pronounced glucose levels and insulin resistance (IR) indices compared to patients with UA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with BA have more pronounced autonomous cortisol and aldosterone secretion and glucose metabolism alterations than patients with UA. Further studies are needed to evaluate the potential long-term consequences of these findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, General Hospital of Athens "G. Genimatas"Department of Pathophysiology, Endocrine Unit, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Ioannis I
authors.initials: II
authors.lastname: Androulakis
authors.forename: Gregory A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Kaltsas
authors.forename: Athina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Markou
authors.forename: Ermioni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tseniklidi
authors.forename: Paraskevi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kafritsa
authors.forename: Theodora
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pappa
authors.forename: Lambrini
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Papanastasiou
authors.forename: George P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Piaditis
mesh_terms: D000306:Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D018246:Adrenocortical Adenoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D000450:Aldosterone / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism; D033162:Incidental Findings; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000450:Aldosterone; D006854:Hydrocortisone