Endocrine emergencies are potentially life-threatening conditions that require rapid recognition and immediate management. Delayed diagnosis can lead to severe morbidity or death. For this reason, physicians of all specialties must be able to recognize key clinical patterns and initiate prompt treatment even before a definitive diagnosis is confirmed.

This elective course introduces medical students to the most important endocrine emergencies encountered in clinical practice. Through a problem-based learning (PBL) approach, students will analyze real-life clinical scenarios, discuss differential diagnoses, and develop structured reasoning strategies for the management of critically ill patients.

The course covers three major groups of endocrine emergencies:

1. Pituitary and thyroid emergencies
Pituitary apoplexy
Acute adrenal insufficiency (adrenal crisis)
Myxedema coma
Thyroid storm

2. Electrolyte emergencies
Hyponatremia
Hypernatremia
Hypocalcemia
Hypercalcemia

3. Metabolic and diabetic emergencies
Hypoglycemic coma
Diabetic ketoacidosis
Hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state
Lactic acidosis

Each session is structured around clinical cases, encouraging students to identify warning signs, interpret laboratory and imaging findings, and determine appropriate therapeutic priorities.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
recognize the clinical presentation of major endocrine emergencies
develop a structured differential diagnosis in critically ill patients
understand the underlying pathophysiology of endocrine crises
identify immediate life-saving interventions and treatment priorities

The goal of the course is to strengthen clinical reasoning skills and prepare students to recognize endocrine emergencies in emergency and inpatient settings.