ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: Hyperthyrotropinemia is common in patients with obesity and has been hypothesized that high TSH could be associated with an adverse metabolic profile. Few studies have been performed in pediatric population and the results are controversial.Objective: Aim of the study was to evaluate the association between TSH and metabolic syndrome (MS) in a large group of obese children and adolescents.<p class="abst...

Introduction: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a known complication of obesity. It is still unclear whether gender and puberty influence the prevalence of MS in children and adolescents.Objective: Aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of gender and puberty on the prevalence of MS and on cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) in obese children and adolescents.Patients and Methods: 1437 obese patients (age 9.7 (2.2–17.9) ys; 660 Mal...

Introduction: The evolution of Hashimoto Thyroiditis (HT) has been investigated by several studies both in pediatric and adult age. However, there are limited data on the progression of the disease from childhood to adulthood.Objective: Aim of the study was to describe the evolution of thyroid function in children with HT from childhood to young adulthood.Patients and Methods: The diagnosis of HT was defined by the presence of anti...

Background: Congenital hypopituitarism (CH) is characterized by a deficiency of one or more pituitary hormones. Mutations in the genes coding for transcription factors, such HESX1, involved in the development of the pituitary, determine a highly variable phenotype which may include severe midline defects, septo-optic dysplasia and other congenital abnormalities. A small number of HESX1 variants have been identified in humans. The phenotype sh...

Background: GH secretion is classically assessed by provocative tests and, indirectly, by IGF-1 serum levels. However, their diagnostic accuracy is low. The aim of the study was to evaluate the adult height (AH) in short patients with IGF-1 ≤-1,5 SDS.Method: 52 short patients (height-SDS -2.6 (-3.1- -2.3), age 12.2 (10.2-13.7) y, 36 boys), with low height velocity(HV)-SDS (-1.6 (-3.2- -0.9)) and IGF-1 ≤-1,5 SDS (-2...

Introduction: Transient congenital hypothyroidism (TCH) refers to a temporary deficiency of thyroid hormone identified after birth, with low thyroxine (T4) and elevated thyrotropin (TSH). Approximately 17%-40% of children diagnosed with CH by newborn screening (NBS), have transient hypothyroidism. Levo-thyroxine (L-T4) early treatment is recommended at the dose 10-15 µg/kg/day. Children with thyroid gland in situ should be re-evaluated after the ...

Background: Birth weight (BW) is associated with the development of obesity, insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes in adulthood. The results of studies on the correlation between BW and the severity of obesity and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) among obese children are contradictory. The objective of our study was to evaluate the association between birth weight and the presence of CVRF in genetically homogeneous group of obese children and adolescents.</...

Background: The diagnosis of GHD in children is based on auxological, biochemical, neuro-radiological, and genetic tests. Biochemical tests include evaluation of stimulated GH secretion and baseline IGF-1 determination. Although IGF-1 is the most reliable indicator of GH action, its value should always be interpreted in conjunction with other clinical and biochemical parameters. Since IGF-1 has good specificity (about 90%), but low sensitivity (about 70%), nor...

Background: Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) is an amino acid peptide produced under the effect of Growth Hormone (GH), mostly secreted by the liver, which stimulates bone growth. IGF-1 levels have high specificity and low sensitivity for the diagnosis of Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD). Higher IGF-1 levels are classically associated with a better response to growth hormone therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between serum IGF...

Introduction: The diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is currently based on clinical, auxological, biochemical, and neuro-radiological investigation. Provocative tests of GH secretion using physiological/pharmacological stimuli are required to confirm GHD. The clonidine test (CT) is widely used to assess GH secretory status. In this retrospective study we analyzed the reliability of CT and the effect of puberty in a large number of children with short stature who had ...