ESPE Abstracts

Introduction/Background: Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) represents a major development for families affected by rare monogenic conditions by facilitating early prenatal diagnosis without the risks associated with traditional more invasive methods. For most rare diseases NIPT is only available clinically for paternally-inherited variants. One exception is in GCK and HNF4A diabetes, where the detection of a maternally or paternally inheri...

Introduction: There is a complex and multifaceted relationship between antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and the neuroendocrine system. Thyroid hormone (TH) sensitivity reflects thyroid homeostasis more comprehensively than serum hormone levels. It is clear whether TH sensitivity is associated with the use of AEDs. In this study, the evaluation of thyroid hormone sensitivity is aimed in euthyroid cases treated with antiepileptic drug therapy. In this study, the evalu...

Introduction: As of May 2021, German law protects children with differences of sex development (DSD), including females with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), from non-consensual genital surgery. Parents can consent only in emergencies; all other surgeries require the child's consent. Exceptions are allowed by law, with the approval of the family court following a positive decision by a multidisciplinary committee. If the family presents a positive de...

Background: P450 oxidoreductase (POR) is a co-factor critical for the function of type 2 microsomal cytochrome P450 enzymes. POR deficiency (PORD) results in a rare form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia, with combined attenuation of CYP21A2 and CYP17A1 steroidogenic enzymes. It is characterised by combined deficiencies of glucocorticoids and androgens postnatally. Differences in sex development can arise in both sexes due to antenatal activation of the altern...

Background: To aid assessment of parent-reported quality of life outcomes (PRO) in routine clinical setting in young children with a condition affecting sex development, a short questionnaire (PRO-CSD) that includes a parent-proxy report (PPR) and a parent-self-report measure (PSR) has been recently developed and requires further validation. Methods: Parents of 98 boys with a median age of 2.9 yrs (range, 0.2,6.5) and me...

Introduction: Syndromic obesities are characterized by malformations, dysmorphic features, and/or neurodevelopmental disorders. This paper reports the clinical characterization of a duplication showing familial transmission in the Xq27.3q28 region containing the FMR1 gene, presenting symptoms such as obesity, hypogonadism, gynecomastia, short stature, and intellectual disability.Case Presentation: A 17-year-old male pati...

Introduction: 18q deletion is one of the rare causes of short stature, characterized by intellectual disability, short stature, hypotonia, hearing loss, and foot deformities. Patients with this condition are also found to have an increased susceptibility to autoimmune diseases, which can lead to associated endocrinopathies. Here, we present a case diagnosed with 18q deletion and followed in our clinic due to short stature.Case:</...

Background: The ‘External Masculinization Score’ (EMS) is an objective method of scoring undervirilized genitalia in infants but may require further adaptation to capture the appearance of the genitalia more comprehensively across the phenotypic spectrum.Objective: To develop and validate a non-binary, standardized score that describes the range of appearance of external genitalia.Method: The external genitalia score (EGS...

Background: The sonic hedgehog pathway (SHH) regulates CNS development and mutations or abnormal expression of the SHH pathway genes have been identified in epithelial tumors. SHH pathway interacts with Wnt/β-catenin signalling. To date, CTNNB1/β-catenin mutations are the sole molecular abnormality found in adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas (ACPs).Objective and Hypotheses: To analyze the expression pattern of SHH pathway genes in ACPs and its...

Background: A total of 456 skeletal dysplasias have been classified by molecular, biochemical and/or radiological criteria, into 40 groups. Despite this, the precise, final diagnosis is often difficult due to the high phenotypic and genotypic variability.Objective: To improve the molecular and clinical diagnosis of skeletal dysplasias using a custom-designed next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel.Method: A total of 56 skeletal dysp...