Modified-release hydrocortisone for adrenal insufficiency

A life-long, daily medical treatment with glucocorticoids (hydrocortisone (HC) in particular) is essential for patients with chronic adrenal insufficiency (AI). However, a major problem in clinical practice is that patients with AI have impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL), which is thought to be in part due to HC therapy.

Quinkler et al., conducted an open, prospective trial at one endocrine centre to compare once-daily HC dual-release tablet (modified-release) with conventional HC therapy regarding clinical data and HRQoL. Their study shows that modified release HC decreases BMI and HbA1c and seems to stabilize HRQoL, whereas conventional HC treatment seems to be accompanied by a decrease in HRQoL over time.

Read full article by Quinkler et al., titled ‘Modified-release hydrocortisone decreases BMI and HbA1c in patients with primary and secondary adrenal insufficiency’ in European Journal of Endocrinology 172 619 – 626.

DOI:10.1530/EJE-14-1114