fbpx
Ingegerd Frøyshov Larsen (1937 - )

Ingegerd Frøyshov Larsen (1937 – present) is a Norwegian physician and endocrinologist.

Larsen is eponynomously known for her research into Hansen-Larsen-Berg syndrome – a syndrome of total colour blindness, secondary to progressive cone dystrophy; degenerative liver disease; and endocrine dysfunction – which was first published in 1976.


Biography
  • 1937 – Born Ingegerd Frøyshov on August 2 in Oslo, Norway
  • 1962 – Graduated medicine from the University of Oslo
  • 1964 – Trained in paediatrics at Northwestern Hospital, Minneapolis
  • 1965-1969 – Head of the mother and child clinic run by the Norwegian Refugee Council in Amman, Jordan
  • 1969 – Married Øyvind Larsen, professor of medical history at the University of Oslo
  • 1970 – Assistant physician in the department of endocrinology, Rikshospitalet, Oslo
  • Chief physician, Lovisenberg Diakonale Sykehus, Oslo

Medical Eponyms
Hansen-Larsen-Berg syndrome (1976)

[Also known as: Retinohepatoendocrinologic syndrome; OMIM 268040]

A syndrome of total colour blindness, secondary to progressive cone dystrophy; degenerative liver disease; and endocrine dysfunction (hypothyroidism, ‘maturity-onset diabetes of the young’, repeated abortions or infertility).

In 1972, Larsen and Egill Hansen were working at Rikshospitalet, and both had patients present with an unusual constellation of symptoms. In 1976, Larsen, Hansen and Kåre Berg described this new syndrome found in six females in two sibships from a foresting community in eastern Norway with a high degree of consanguinity, and a male from another family. In the first paper they described the ophthalmological findings of progressive cone dystrophy. The fundi showed attenuated retinal vessels, disc pallor, and a generalized atrophic appearance without pigmentation. Photopic function was lost; scotopic function was well preserved. Creatine phosphokinase level was elevated in the blood of all patients.

Two further publications in 1978 described the clinical and metabolic findings as well as the genetic studies.

Six females from two sibships in a family with a high degree of consanguinity and a male from another family are described: all have a new syndrome of total colour blindness (progressive cone dystrophy), liver degeneration and endocrine dysfunction.

The patients showed endocrine defects at different levels of regulation. None of the patients had children; two were probably infertile and three had had repeated abortions. Two patients had primary hypothyroidism and another two had low normal thyroid function with protracted thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) test response, indicating a hypothalamic disorder…Diabetes mellitus of the “maturity-onset type of diabetes of the young” was observed in three patients, and a fourth had a borderline glucose tolerance with further impairment during pregnancy…Four of the patients had liver degeneration, demonstrated by elevated transaminases and unspecific parenchymal degeneration, fatty infiltration and isolated liver cell necrosis in the biopsy. All the patients, except the youngest, had progressive hearing loss, classified in four cases as neurogenous and probably cochlear…Elevated creatine phosphokinase was also observed. All the different lesions suggest a systemic disorder, possibly a membrane defect.

Ingegerd Frøyshov Larsen 1978

Major Publications

Personal communication: With great thanks to Tove Lill Bjaarstad of Oslo, Norway for the detailed additional information.


References

Biography

Eponymous term


Graduated from Cardiff Medical School in 2017 with MBBCh and BSc in Psychology and Medicine. Currently working as a doctor in the emergency department at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, Australia.

BA MA (Oxon) MBChB (Edin) FACEM FFSEM. Emergency physician, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.  Passion for rugby; medical history; medical education; and asynchronous learning #FOAMed evangelist. Co-founder and CTO of Life in the Fast lane | Eponyms | Books | Twitter |

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.