ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: Pituitary gigantism is caused by a somatotroph pituitary tumor that occurs before epiphyseal closure and is associated with increased morbidity due to the systemic effects of chronic hormonal excess. It is an extremely rare disease, with an estimated incidence of 8 per million person-years. Therapeutic modalities for pituitary gigantism are the same as those for acromegaly and include surgery, medication and radiation. Medical treatment plays an ...

Background: GH treatment requires regular, daily s.c. injections for very long periods of time when not virtually for a lifelong period. The mean final height attained with GH therapy is influenced by poor adherence to treatment.Objective and hypotheses: The main aim of this study was to identify non-adherent patients to GH therapy and to determine the influence of compliance in response to the treatment (IGF1 serum levels and growth velocity). We also e...

Background: Most reports on gonadotoxicity associated with chemotherapy of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) comes from studies in adults, and they are mainly focused on the sensitivity of testicular germ cells. Little attention has been placed on Sertoli cells in prepubertal patients, even though Sertoli cell function is essential for adult spermatogenesis.Objective: To evaluate Sertoli cell function in prepubertal boys who receive chemotherapy for ALL...

Aim: To determine Sertoli cell function at diagnosis and after 3 months of chemotherapy.Methods: A prospective cohort study was performed including children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, acute myeloid leukaemia, or non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Serum levels of AMH were evaluated at diagnosis and after 3 months during chemotherapy. Results were analysed as standard deviation scores according to pubertal stage and expressed ...

Introduction: Improvements in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) have increased survival, with the consequent concern about the long-term effects that childhood chemotherapy may have on ovarian function. AMH constitutes an indirect, reliable biomarker of the ovarian reserve, useful for the assessment of cancer therapy-related ovarian damage.Aim: To evaluate small ovarian f...

Introduction: Gonadotoxicity associated with chemotherapy of hematologic malignancies has been described mainly in adults, focused on the sensitivity of germ cells. Little attention has been placed on Sertoli cells during childhood and puberty, even though Sertoli cell development is essential for adult spermatogenesis.Objective: To assess function of the pituitary-testicular axis, with emphasis on Sertoli cell function,...

Introduction: Hypercalcaemia is an uncommon electrolyte disorder, frequently discovered incidentally based on routine blood chemistry results.Case report: A 14-year-old adolescent was admitted to the Endocrinology Department due to obesity, gait and depression. His weight had been gradually increasing over the previous 2 years, and on admission his BMI was 31.5 kg/m2. The pain in his legs started a year ago, but worsened progressively and in t...

Background: Early detection of diabetic nephropathy is of great importance. Renal functional reserve (RFR) is the difference between glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in basal conditions and GFR after a protein meal.Objective: To examine renal functional reserve in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) in order to detect diabetic nephropathy at early stage.Method: Case control study included patient...

Background: In North-Eastern Italy, a newborn screening for congenital adrenal hyperlpasia (CAH) has been taking place since 2001 to diagnose the classical form of 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD). Thanks to the screening program based on 17-OHP levels in dried blood spots, early diagnosis of CAH is possible, allowing appropriate precocious treatment and reducing mortality rates. Unfortunately, a high false positive rate, especially in preterm, low-birth-wei...

Background: Endogenous GH secretion physiologically increases during puberty. In particular, a correlation between GH levels and pubertal stages can be stated. Therefore, it is possible that some patients with childhood-onset GH deficiency (GHD) at puberty normalize their GH secretion. Finally, there are not so far assessed potential predictors of persistent GHD in patients during puberty.Objective and hypotheses: Our study aims evaluating the normalisat...