ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: Monitoring steroid hormone levels of children with endocrine disorders, such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and disorders of sex development (DSD), can be challenging. Dried blood spot (DBS) sampling can be helpful for these patients. DBS sampling is less invasive, easier to sample, and simpler to transport and store compared to venous blood sampling. Additionally, DBS sampling can be done at home at any time of the day, thus improving p...

Rationale: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a major complication of preterm birth, which pathophysiology involves systematic inflammation. Preterm infants commonly suffer from relative adrenal insufficiency (RAI) in their first week of life, resulting in an insufficient production of cortisol inappropriate for the degree of inflammation. One of the major causes of RAI is immaturity of adrenal cortex enzymes, leading to an accumulation of cortisol precursors...

Background: In mammals, maternal glucocorticoids are transmitted through breast milk, particularly under stressful circumstances. In humans, it is unclear whether milk cortisol levels are dependent on stressful perinatal circumstances, such as preterm birth.Objective and hypotheses: Our aim was to compare cortisol concentrations in breast milk of mothers of very preterm infants (GA <32 weeks) to breast milk cortisol concentrations of mothers of full-...