ESPE Abstracts

Background: Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is produced by granulosa cells in small follicles prior to gonadotropin dependent growth and serum levels reflect the number of small antral follicles. There are currently no longitudinal data of individual AMH levels from infancy to adolescence.Aim: To evaluate whether AMH in infancy and childhood is associated with AMH levels and ovarian morphology peripubertal and in adole...

Background: The male Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal (HPG) axis is transiently active during the first months of life with surging serum concentrations of reproductive hormones. This period, termed minipuberty, promotes masculinization, including testicular, and penile growth, as well as further testicular descent in males. It appears to be essential for priming specific cell types, i.e. Sertoli-, Leydig-, and germ cells, including subsequent growth and maturat...

Treatment of short stature in children born small for gestational age (SGA) requires daily growth hormone (GH) injections that can be burdensome for patients and caregivers. Once-weekly somapacitan is a long-acting GH in phase 3 development for replacement therapy in children with GH deficiency. We report the 52-week results of the first phase 2, multinational, randomised, open-label, controlled, dose-finding trial (NCT03878446) investigating efficacy and safety of somapacitan...

Background: Children born small for gestational age (SGA) exhibit wide variations in the activity of growth hormone (GH)/insulin–like growth factor–I (IGF-I) axis and this heterogeneity may result in supra physiological concentrations of IGF-I during GH treatment. The long-term effects of elevated IGF-I levels has been a matter of concern. We explored the variations in total IGF-I and bioactive IGF-I and the associations with growth and glucose metab...

Background: The female gonadal axis is activated in mini-puberty and thereafter it is quiescent until puberty. We have shown that many girls with no clinical sign of puberty in the age group 1-6 yr. have a rather strong luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) response to a gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) test. However, stimulated LH and FSH values decreased in the age interval 1-6 yr and no LH/FSH values rose above 0.43. Serum est...

Context: The early activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis during infancy can be used in the evaluation of infants suspected of disorders of sex development (DSD). However, few data exists on sex-specific reference ranges for these hormones during early life.Objective: To evaluate sex-differences in reproductive hormone concentrations in serum from healthy infants in order to define sex-specific cut-off values and to apply these in infants ...

Background: A common polymorphism in the growth hormone receptor gene (d3-GHR) was found to be associated with pre- and postnatal growth and GH-induced growth. D3-GHR was associated with glucose metabolism in adults with GHD and acromegaly, but this has not previously been explored in children.Objective and hypotheses: We examined the impact of the GHR-exon-3 deletion on glucose metabolism and anthropometrics in short SGA children before and following 1 ...

Background: In adult women, serum levels of AMH reflect both the number of small growing follicles and remaining primordial follicles. AMH levels range 15 fold between healthy girls. Interpretation of AMH is contentious due to minor intra-individual changes around time of pubertal onset despite continuous loss of primordial follicles.Objective and Hypotheses: To describe ovarian morphology (volume, follicles) in healthy girls and adolescents in relation ...

Background: There is wide heterogeneity in responses to GH treatment in children born small for gestational age (SGA).Objective and Hypotheses: The aim was to explore the impact of genetic markers on glucose metabolism and growth during first year high-dose GH treatment in SGA children.Method: In North European Small for Gestational Age Study (NESGAS) patients received high-dose GH (67 μg/kg per day) the first year. 97 patient...

Background: In the optimal care of children with DSD, it is considered good practice to work within a multidisciplinary team (MDT) and engage in opportunities for professional development.Method: To explore the current models of MDT practice and the extent of professional development in specialist DSD centres, an international survey of 124 paediatric endocrinologists, identified through DSDnet and the I-DSD Registry, was performed in 2014.<p class="...