Diabetes and prediabetes are the most common endocrine conditions affecting about 38% of the US population. Adrenal tumors on the other hand are relatively rare with prevalence of < 10%. Results of the article suggest that adrenal tumors, even when “benign” or “nonfunctional”, can contribute to the development of diabetes and prediabetes.
Apparently “benign” adrenal masses could be an independent risk factor for glucose dysmetabolism. Should patients with diabetes be screened for such tumors? If present, would surgical or medical intervention reduce this risk?
GT
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Annals of Internal Medicine.
Cohort
August 2, 2016
Background
Benign adrenal tumors are commonly discovered on abdominal imaging. Most are classified as nonfunctional and are considered to pose no health risk, but some are considered functional because they secrete hormones that increase risk for metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.
Objective
To evaluate the hypothesis that nonfunctional adrenal tumors (NFATs) increase risk for cardiometabolic outcomes compared with absence of adrenal tumors. Design, cohort study. Setting, integrated hospital system. Participants with benign NFATs (“exposed”; n = 166) and those with no adrenal tumor (“unexposed”; n = 740), with at least 3 years of follow-up.
Measurements
Medical records were reviewed from the time of abdominal imaging for development of incident outcomes (hypertension, composite diabetes [prediabetes or type 2 diabetes], hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular events, and chronic kidney disease) (mean, 7.7 years).
Primary analyses evaluated independent associations between exposure status and incident outcomes by using adjusted generalized linear models.
Secondary analyses evaluated relationships between NFATs and cortisol physiology.
Results
Participants with NFATs had significantly higher risk for incident composite diabetes than those without adrenal tumors (27.3% vs. 11.7% participants; absolute risk, 15.6%; adjusted risk ratio, 1.87, p<0.05]).
No significant associations between NFATs and other outcomes were observed. Higher “normal” postdexamethasone cortisol levels (≤50 nmol/L) were associated with larger NFAT size and higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes. Limitation: Potential bias in the selection of participants and ascertainment of outcomes.
Conclusion:
Participants with NFATs had a significantly higher risk for diabetes than those without adrenal tumors. These results should prompt a reassessment of whether the classification of benign adrenal tumors as “nonfunctional” adequately reflects the continuum of hormone secretion and metabolic risk they may harbor.