ESPE Abstracts

Background: Over the years special screening procedures for preterm and twin babies (re-screening at 2–4 weeks of life) have been adopted by many screening laboratories worldwide. However, no extensive studies have been performed to verify how many co-twins with negative test at first screening (3–5 days) become positive at re-screening, and the utility of a long-term follow-up also in co-twin with negative test at screening and re-screening.Ob...

Background: Graves’ disease (GD) is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism in the pediatric population. T helper 17 (Th17) IL-17A+CD3+CD4+ cells represent a novel subset of T helper cells that play an active role in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Although methimazole (MMI) lowers the levels of thyroid autoantibodies, little is still known about its influence on cell-mediated immune response. The role of Th17 cells in GD pathogenesis remains uncertain and the impa...

Background: H2O2 produced in large quantities in the thyroid may play a role in the pathogenesis of thyroid nodules and cancer. In vitro, moderate amounts of H2O2 are able to cause similar DNA damage compared to irradiation and even to induce RET/PTC rearrangements.Objective and hypotheses: We compared the defence mechanisms against H2O2 and irradiation in human thyrocytes, T-cell...

Background: H2O2 produced in large quantities in the thyroid may play a role in the pathogenesis of thyroid nodules and cancer. In vitro, moderate amounts of H2O2 are able to cause similar DNA damage compared to irradiation and even to induce RET/PTC rearrangements.Objective and hypotheses: We compared the defence mechanisms against H2O2 and irradiation in human thyrocytes, T-cell...

Background: In vitro fertilisation (IVF) has been widely used during the last decades. Increased susceptibility to birth defects and a higher cardiometabolic risk in children born after IVF than naturally conceived (NC) children have been reported. Also, a higher incidence of hyperthyrotropinemia has been noted in children born after IVF with respect to NC children and has been attributed to an epigenetic modification of the TSH set-point.Object...

Background: Implementation of neonatal screening programs for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) has reduced related nosologies and has eradicated CH-associated mental impairment. With the decrease of the TSH cut-off limits employed to avoid false negative results, milder cases of CH are diagnosed. Obviously, in a number of patients, especially among milder CH cases, thyroid dysfunction is transient. The diagnosis of transient vs. permanent CH is established in time. No specific p...

Background: Recently, T3 receptor alpha (TRα) mutations have been identified in a number of patients with varying degrees of growth impairment, delayed development, constipation, increases in serum T3 and decreases in T4 and rT3.Objective: To determine the spectrum of clinical and functional consequences of novel TRα mutations.Method: Clinical assessment and biochemical, imaging...

Background: Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is an autoimmune-mediated disorder, and is the most common cause of thyroid disease and acquired hypothyroidism in children and adolescents. In adults with HT, concentration problems, memory disorders and an increased rate of depression have been reported.Objective and hypotheses: To investigate, whether children and adolescents with HT have more behaviour and emotional problems, and/or lower intelligence tha...

Background: Brain-lung-thyroid syndrome (BLTS, OMIM# 610978) is caused by mutations in the NK2 homeobox 2 (NKX2-1; TTF1) gene affecting the three NKX2-1 expressing organs brain, lung and thyroid. The syndrome is characterized by benign hereditary chorea (BHC), infant respiratory distress syndrome (IRDS) and congenital hypothyroidism (CH). However, the clinical spectrum and severity of symptoms vary widely. Regarding the increasing number of published mutations and het...

Background: The contribution of mutations in paired box domain (PAX8) gene in children with congenital hypothyroidism (CH) and thyroid dysgenesis (TD) still remains a subject of interest of researchers. While quantitative PCR and direct sequencing concentrate on single gene fragment analysis and identification of point mutations, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) analysis might improve the detection rate of PAX8 mutations in patients wit...

Background: The familial non-autoimmune hyperthyroidism (FNAH) is a hereditary disease caused by dominant activating mutations of the TSH receptor (TSHR) gene and rare in the paediatric population.Case presentation: A 20-month girl was referred for tachycardia. In personal history, she was delivered at 35 weeks of gestation by caesarean for fœtal tachycardia; she had been hospitalised at 1 and 5 months for diarrhoea and tachycardia was noticed. Clin...