Diabetes Secondary to Pituitary Diseases

  • 12k

    Total downloads

  • 81k

    Total views and downloads

Submit your idea

You will be redirected to our submission process.

Submit your manuscript

About this Research Topic

Submission closed

Background

In endocrinology, secondary diabetes is diabetes that results as a consequence of another medication or endocrine disease. Among pituitary diseases, acromegaly and Cushing syndrome are typical endocrine disorders causing impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or overt secondary diabetes mellitus (DM), through various mechanisms, ranging from increased insulin resistance mainly in early stage, to decreased insulin secretion frequently in advanced stage. Various degrees of alteration in glucose metabolism are also present in patients affected by growth hormone (GH) deficiency and hyperprolactinemia. GH plays physiological effects on glucose metabolism, stimulating gluconeogenesis and lipolysis, which results in increased blood glucose and free fatty acid levels. Conversely, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I) enhances insulin sensitivity primarily on skeletal muscles, but this latter effect is unable to counteract the degree of insulin resistance determined by GH excess. Therefore, GH-induced insulin resistance is considered to be the major mechanism involved in the disorders of glucose metabolism in patients with acromegaly. In acromegaly the prevalence of glucose disorders ranges from 6 to 56%, mainly correlated to hormone levels, duration of disease, family history of diabetes and age of patients. In addition, the interplay between glucose tolerance and acromegaly could become more complicated when we consider the medical treatment with somatostatin analogues (SA). Indeed, SA should ameliorate abnormalities of glucose metabolism due to reversal of insulin resistance and a reduction in gluconeogenesis secondary to decrease in GH levels, but they may also worsen it because of their inhibitory effect on pancreatic insulin secretion. Untreated GH deficiency is associated with a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors, which may also include various degrees of glucose impairment, and GH treatment seems to impact on many of these alterations leading to important changes in glucose metabolism. GH treatment has therefore been suggested to impair glucose metabolism because of the anti-insulin effect of GH and its direct effect on beta-cell and these effects are balanced by the body composition change during treatment. Hypercortisolism leads to hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance, stimulates glicogenolisis and hepatic gluconeogenesis and plays a direct role on pancreatic insulin secretion. Therefore, in Cushing syndrome the prevalence of disorders in glucose metabolism ranges from 20 to 50%, mainly correlated to hormone levels and duration of disease. Medical treatment with the multireceptor-targeted SA Pasireotide is frequently associated with hyperglycemia-related adverse events (from 68 to 73%), thus potentially worsening an already unstable glucose tolerance. The role of prolactin (PRL) as a metabolic hormone is not fully known. Hyperprolactinaemia can be associated with glucose abnormalities or hyperinsulinaemia, although the mechanisms of these associations are still poorly understood. Consequently, a lower risk of metabolic syndrome have been associated with the normalization of PRL during dopamine agonists (DA) treatment. The mechanisms by which DA could improve glucose metabolism may include suppression of endogenous glucose production or increased splanchnic glucose uptake after glucose ingestion.

This Topic will provide an overview of the current state of the art about the different aspects (epidemiology, pathophysiology, impact of treatment, management) of glucose metabolism disorders in some of the most important pituitary diseases, by summarizing the data available in the literature.

Keywords: Diabetes, glucose, insulin sensitivity, insulin secretion, secondary diabetes

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Topic editors

Frequently asked questions

  • Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

    Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

  • The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

    Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

  • As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

    A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

  • Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and it falls under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

    In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

  • Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

    As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

    Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

     

  • Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

    Check available article types here 

  • Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

    Suggest your topic here 

  • A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

    The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

  • As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

     

    You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

  • As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

  • If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

  • Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

  • Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

  • As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

    Find out more about our Research Topics

  • Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

    Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

  • In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.

     

Impact

  • 81kTopic views
  • 67kArticle views
  • 12kArticle downloads
View impact