ESPE Abstracts

Background: Glucose monitoring is vital in children with persistent hypoglycaemia to reduce the risk of adverse neuro-behavioural outcomes1. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems provide real-time glucose levels however; information on its usefulness in monitoring glucose levels in this cohort is limited2, 3.Objective: To ascertain the effectiveness of CGM and to evaluate parents’ experie...

Introduction: MEHMO syndrome (mental retardation, epileptic seizures, hypogenitalism, microcephaly, and obesity) is a rare X-linked disorder causes by EIF2S3 gene mutations. This gene encodes a key factor for integrated stress response and initiation of protein synthesis. Since many hormones are proteins or peptides by nature, some of the reported cases of MEHMO syndrome include endocrine disorders: hypopituitarism (hypogonadism, growth hormone defici...

Introduction: It is known that excessive gestational weight gain can cause an adverse intrauterine environment and increase the risk of cardio-metabolic diseases in the offspring. Epigenetics could be one of the mechanisms involved in this regulation.Objective: We aimed to study the DNA methylation profile of umbilical cord tissue that is associated with gestational weight gain (GWG), and its relationship with cardio-met...

Introduction: Congenital Hyperinsulism (CHI) is a common cause of recurrent and persistent hypoglycemia in the neonatal period. Diazoxide is the first line medication used for the management of CHI. We report the clinical profile and the management outcome of a large cohort of patients with diazoxide responsive CHI.Methodology: A retrospective data collection including antenatal, perinatal and postnatal clinical parameters, laboratory di...

Introduction: Congenital Hyperinsulinism (CHI) is the most frequent cause of severe, persistent hypoglycemia in children. Despite current treatments, patients/caregivers report continued hypoglycemia according to the HI Global Registry 2020 Annual Report. Published literature characterizing hypoglycemia in CHI patients on standard of care (SOC) therapies is lacking.Objective: To quantify the extent of hypoglycemia in CHI...

Inactivating mutations of ß-cell KATP channels cause the most common and severe form of congenital hyperinsulinism (HI), a ß-cell disorder that results in dysregulated insulin secretion and persistent hypoglycemia. Children with KATPHI are typically unresponsive to diazoxide, the only FDA-approved drug for HI. Octreotide, an SST2-selective agonist peptide that inhibits insulin secretion, is used as second line therapy, but poor efficacy and SST2...

Background and Aims: Gestational obesity can cause metabolic programming in the offspring. Epigenetic modifications of DNA have been suggested as potential mechanisms underlying this programming. FRAT-1 is a gene involved in the WNT signaling pathway, which is an important regulator of adipose tissue development. The objective of this work was to study the methylation status of FRAT-1 in placentas of women with either normal weight or gestati...

Background and Aims: Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) are essential nutrients for the development of the fetus and are supplied by the mother through the placenta. Omega-6 arachidonic acid (AA) and both omega-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docoshexaenoic acid (DHA) stand out for their functional roles. Recent studies show that the concentrations of these fatty acids in maternal blood and umbilical cord are associated with adiposity in the of...

Background: Recurrent miscarriage (RM) is traditionally described as three or more consecutive pregnancy losses and remains a challenging condition, affecting 1-3% of couples trying to conceive. Although factors such as uterine abnormalities, maternal hypothyroidism and parental balanced translocations are associated with RM, in most situations the aetiology is unknown. The coexistence of RM and live births in many families suggests a potential association wit...

Background: Being born small for gestational age (SGA) is linked with higher systolic blood pressure (SBP). Fetuses with growth restriction (FGR) may be either SGA or appropriate size for gestational age at birth. However, it is not known which factors contributing to size at birth influence the relationship with SBP.Aim: To determine whether antenatal markers of FGR can predict the upper quartile of childhood SBP.<p...

Introduction: Children with Prader-Willi syndrome present with short stature and obesity. However, very little is known about the role of this imprinted control region in the general population. This study aims to analyze the methylation status of the PWS imprinting control region (ICR) in placenta and its association with postnatal growth and obesity parameters in healthy children.Methodology: The methylation percentages of the PWS-ICR ...

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the incidence of early neonatal hypoglycemia and to confirm potential risk factors.Study design: The study was conducted at a tertiary Medical Center in Qatar. between January 2018 and December 2019. First blood glucose concentrations of all infants admitted to the nursery were measured using a "point of care" analyzer (Accu-Chek). We recorded risk factors for hypoglycemia su...

Introduction: Hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia is one of the most common causes of severe and persistent hypoglycemia in neonates and children. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment prevent brain damage due to recurrent hypoglycemia. Genetic examination often can guide the treatment. The most common affected genes are the ABCC8 and KCNJ11 genes, which encode the SUR1 and Kir6.2 KATP channels, respectively. Here, a neonate with a novel variant in AB...

Preterm babies born to non-diabetic mothers (INDM) who experience significant hypoglycemia may have postnatal growth abnormalities. This study evaluated the growth pattern from birth to the age of 2 years of 40 INDM who were born at or near term with significant hypoglycemia. Anthropometric measures (z scores) from birth, 2,4.6,12,18 and 2 years were measured in 40 INDM who presented with significant neonatal hypoglycemia (plasma value less than 20-25 mg/dl (1.1-1.4 mmol/l) th...

Background and Aims: Congenital hyperinsulinism (HI) is the most frequent cause of severe, persistent hypoglycemia in newborn babies and children. The disease may occur in isolation or can present as part of a syndrome. Routine screening of the known etiological genes (n = >20) identifies a disease-causing mutation in 40-50% of all cases. An accurate and timely genetic diagnosis is clinically important for all individuals as understanding the unde...

Introduction: The intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is defined by weight and/or height below the 10th percentile of reference population curve.Goal: To determine the predictors of small size at the age of 2 yearsMethod: Longitudinal prospective study from 2012 to 2016. We followed the growth in height and weight of children born with IUGR at term up to the age of 2 years.<p class="abstext"...