ESPE Abstracts

Background: Marfan syndrome (MFS) is an autosomal dominant disorder of connective tissue. Cardinal features affect cardiovascular system, eyes and skeleton. It is caused by mutations of FBN1 gene, which encodes the extracellular matrix protein fibrillin 1. The improper activation of TGFβ, due to defective fibrillin-1, is the pathophysiological mechanism. The altered modulation leads to overgrowth of long bones (disproportionate stature) and altered bone morphology.<p ...

A 2.6-year-old girl of Egyptian origins comes to our attention due to a deflection of the growth rate. The girl was born small for gestational age (SGA), and is affected by congenital hypothyroidism, with normal sized thyroid, treated with Levothyroxine. At the age of 1.8, due to right lameness, an x-ray of pelvis and lower limbs was performed, as indicated by the orthopaedic. The examination showed absence of the distal tibial ossification nucleus in the right leg and entangl...

Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a rare genetic disease caused by mutations with loss of function in the ALPL gene, which encodes for non-specific tissue alkaline phosphatase (TNSALP). We report a case of infantile hypophosphatasia. Due to positive family history for hypophosphatasia, a chorionic villus sampling was made, with evidence in composed heterozygous of variants c.407G>A and c.1489T>C in the ALPL gene. At birth the patient did not have clinical complications, however ...

We report a case of hereditary hypophosphatemic rickets with hypercalciuria (Hereditary Hypophosphatemic Rickets with Hypercalciuria, HHRH) in a 13-year-old boy, referred for evaluation due to the onset of bilateral knee pain for about two years. Pain was intermittent and walking limiting and negatively affected quality of life. Negative family history of bone/joint pathologies and kidney stones. The parents are consanguineous (first cousins), have normal stature and no histor...

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare genetic disease characterized by bone fragility and an increased risk of fractures. Intravenous bisphosphonates are the current gold standard for the treatment of OI: the aim of this therapy is an increase in Bone Mass Density (BMD) and a consequent reduction in pathological fracture rates. Currently, the only bisphosphonate approved in Italy for pediatric population is neridronate, infused in hospital once every four months. In San Raffa...

Medical antiretroviral treatment changed dramatically the course of the infection and life expectancy of people living with HIV (PLWH). However, age-dependent morbidity and mortality remains high, mostly due to non-HIV related conditions. Among others, cardiovascular diseases is nowadays an important cause of morbidity in PLWH. Integrase inhibitors are now part of the standard treatment scheme, because of their efficacy and tolerability. However, recent reports showed an impor...

A 17-year-old girl comes to our attention for a second opinion due to reduced bone mineralization. She has a family history of osteogenesis imperfecta: her mother and younger sister have a COL1A1 mutation. The girl never had any fractures, but considering the familiarity it was carried out a DEXA, showing a Z-score of -1.9 SDS at the femoral level and -2 SDS at the lumbar level; no fractures visible in the spine X-ray. The genetic analysis of COL1A1 was carried out, which came...

Background: There are two liquid formulations of Levothyroxine currently in use in Italy: one containing ethanol (Tirosint®) and the other ethanol-free (Tifactor®). The aim of our study is to compare the two liquid formulations of Levothyroxine in the first six months of treatment in newborns affected by Congenital Hypothyroidism (CH).Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 156 patients treated with the ethanol-cont...

Background: The success of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has dramatically increased life expectancy for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients, revealing a range of chronic problems associated with HIV. Among others, low bone mineral density (BMD) has been described in HIV-infected youths. Little is currently known about the changes of BMD over time in these patients.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of the study was to asses...