ESPE Abstracts

Objective: Low birth weight and prematurity are linked to various behavioural outcomes. In addition, preterm (PT) infants show altered maturation of pituitary–gonadal axis, as demonstrated by its pronounced transient activation during the first postnatal months. Given that gonadal steroid hormones shape the basic processes of neural and behavioural sexual differentiation these elevated sex steroids in premature infants might affect the developing brain and alter subsequen...

Background: Antibiotics have direct effects on human gut, and infant’s intestinal microbiota is particularly vulnerable for perturbation. In mice it was shown that antibiotics increased body fat mass due to changes in composition of the intestinal microbial community. Therefore, antibiotic exposure during infancy could be associated with increase in body mass also in man.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate impact of antibiotic exposure, and its ti...

Background: The ideal pattern of postnatal growth for preterm infants is unknown. Existing preterm growth charts are based on cross-sectional birth size data, and fail to describe longitudinal growth adequately.Objective and hypotheses: We collected longitudinal growth data of healthy preterm infants and constructed growth references from birth to term equivalent age (TEA). Our aim was to describe optimal growth under contemporary neonatal care, in compa...

Background: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are used frequently in infants with recurrent wheezing. They may have potential adverse effects as treatment of childhood asthma with ICS decreases growth velocity and adult height. ICS treatment in infancy is thought to alter linear growth only little, but however, studies on ICS use in infancy and linear growth are practically lacking.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate the impact of ICS on linear growth duri...

Background: Hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis activates soon after birth, and this ‘minipuberty’ provides a transient phase for evaluation of the function of the HPG axis in early infancy. Substantial differences in postnatal gonadotropin secretion have been reported between preterm (PT) and full-term (FT) boys and girls. Therefore, when evaluating gonadotropin levels in infants, time from birth (calendar age), maturity (postmenstrual, PM age) and s...

Background: Decreased reproductive rates have been reported in men born prematurely. This potentially relates to an impaired Sertoli cell proliferation during the postnatal hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal activity, which has been suggested to have a role in later reproductive capacity.Objective and hypotheses: To compare the levels of Sertoli cell markers in premature (PT) and full-term (FT) boys in infancy.Method: Serum AMH and inh...