ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: Kabuki syndrome (KS) is a rare genetic disorder (1 in 32,000 newborns) caused by mutations in the KMT2D gene (autosomal dominant pattern) or the KDM6A gene (X-linked dominant inheritance). KS is characterized by distinctive facial features including arched eyebrows, long eyelashes, long palpebral fissures with everted lower lids at the outside edges, flat, broadened tip of the nose and large protruding earlobes. The name of this disorder comes from the resemblanc...

Introduction: Klippel-Feil Syndrome (KFS), prevalence of 1:40000, is characterized by congenital fusion of cervical vertebrae; three major features are short neck, low hairline at the back of the head and a limited range of motion in the neck. The phenotypic expression is variable, presenting with other vertebral abnormalities (congenital high scapula, scoliosis, kyphosis, spina bifida, hemivertebrae) or extra skeletal symptoms such us deafness, renal, heart or neurological ab...

Introduction: Short stature is frequently associated to neurofibromatosis (NF). In these patients this condition is often caused by growth hormone (GH) deficiency. We describe four boys affected by NF type 1 and GH deficiency treated with GH replacement therapy.Case report: GH deficiency was diagnosed in four patients with NF type 1, who were referred to our Pediatric Endocrinology Unit for short stature. Patient 1 started GH replacement therapy at the C...

Introduction: The oto-spondylo-megaepiphyseal dysplasia (OSMED) is a rare condition with autosomal recessive inheritance caused by congenital defect in the formation of cartilage collagen. OSMED is caused by mutations in the COL11A2 gene, which encodes the alpha2 chain of XI type collagen, a complex molecule that gives structure and strength to the connective tissues that support the body’s joints and organs. OSMED is characterized by severe sensorineural hearing loss and...

Background: ROHHADNET syndrome affects children with normal development until 2–4 years. A paraneoplastic/autoimmune etiology has been suggested because of the association with neural crest tumours.Objective and hypotheses: Aim of this study was to describe the phenotype of ROHHADNET patients, and to evaluate a possible role of autoimmunity in this disorder. In spite of a suspicion for genetic etiology, disease-associated genetic variations have not...

Background: Hypocalcemia is a common metabolic disorder in the neonatal period and may involve life-threatening situations. The aim is to analyze the main causes of hypocalcemia and its management.Objective and hypotheses: The aim is to analyze the main causes of hypocalcemia and its management.Method: Retrospective descriptive study by reviewing reports of 75 patients diagnosed of neonatal hypocalcemia (total Ca <7.6 mg/dl and...

Background: Vitamin D is an essential hormone in the homeostasis of calcium. Its main source is sun exposure. Changes in lifestyle and migratory movements have favored the reappearance of vitamin deficiency in our country.Method: We present three cases of newborn with hypocalcemic seizures, secondary to maternal vitamin D deficiency. Mother’s origin was North Africa.Results: Case 1: 7 days old male brought for several episodes...

Background: The main cause of secondary adrenal insufficiency (SAI) in children is prolonged treatment with exogenous corticosteroids. plasma cortisol (PC) levels after administration of ACTH is the most used indicator of adrenal function in clinical practice. However, salivary cortisol (SC) levels is emerging as an alternative technique in the diagnosis of adrenal pathology, especially useful in the paediatric population because it is a simple noninvasive test.<p class="a...

Objective: Acute adrenal crisis is one of the main concerns in children with classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). The aim of this study was to evaluate hypoglycemic and salt-wasting episodes in children with an established diagnosis of classic 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) after start of treatment.Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted for 85 patients with classic CAH (68 salt-wasting and 17 simple virilizing), aged 1 to...

Poland’s syndrome is characterised by unilateral absence or hypoplasia of the pectoralis muscle, associated with the ipsilateral malformation of the hand. The syndrome is usually sporadic and occurs in about 1:32.000 live births. Poland’s syndrome has been described associated with other abnormalities, including renal aplasia or hypoplasia, hemivertebra, Klippel-Feil syndrome and Moebius’ syndrome. In literature are reported six cases of Moebius syndrome associa...