ESPE Abstracts

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy reached the maturity and a liver-targeting approach is currently used as a replacement treatment for rare hepatic and muscular diseases. X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is a rare disease associated with hyperfunction of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) in bone and characterized by severe skeletal deformities and short stature. The current medical therapies for XLH requires life-long repeated treatment presenting major limitatio...

Background: Adolescents affected by chronic diseases need a specific support and care, in a contest dedicated to them and not integrated with children. They often ask a specific attention to their asks, only partially secondary to their primary disease.Objective and hypotheses: The need of a support in communication of the diagnosis, in the adherence to a long-life or to a prolonged treatment and a long follow-up, with repeated blood samples, strumental ...

Hashimoto encephalopathy is an autoimmune encephalopathy predominantly diagnosed in the adult population. In the pediatric population, the mean age is determined to be 14 years, with the majority of adolescent females. The diagnosis of Hashimoto encephalopathy is clinical and based on the highly variable neuropsychiatric conditions, often affecting more than one area of the central nervous system, the detection of antiperoxidase or antithyroglobulin antibodies in serum, and on...

Background: Polyuria and polydipsia syndrome (PPS) workup is not straightforward, especially in children. Basal investigations are often not reliable in distinguishing among diabetes insipidus (DI), central (CDI) or nephrogenic (NDI), and primary polydipsia (PP). Water deprivation test (WDT) is often essential, although uncomfortable and not always reliable enough to recognize partial DI. Plasma AVP investigation is not routinely used in the diagnostic pathway...

Background: The use of international or local growth charts for the definition of pediatric obesity is still debated. Inappropriate reference standards may lead to under/over-estimation of the prevalence and consequently of the number of patients to be included in diagnostic work-up.Objective and hypotheses: To define the differences between patients considered obese according to either CDC or Italian growth charts.Method: A single...

Background: Recently congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is increased,particularly mild forms. Current guidelines recommend initial levothyroxine (LT4) dose of 10–15 mcg/kg per day as soon as possible, if diagnosis is confirmed by serum test, even if FT4 concentration is normal and venous TSH concentration is >20 microUI/ml.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of our study was to evaluate the initial LT4 dose in newborn with congenital hypothyroidism, n...

Background: Antipituitary (APA) and antihypothalamus antibodies (AHA) have not been investigated in children and adolescents with brain tumors.Patients and Methods: Sixty-three patients with craniopharyngioma, glioma and germinoma treated with surgery and/or chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy were evaluated at a median age of 13 years. Forty-one had MPHD, 6 had a single defect being GH the most common (65.1%), followed...

We report a case of hereditary hypophosphatemic rickets with hypercalciuria (Hereditary Hypophosphatemic Rickets with Hypercalciuria, HHRH) in a 13-year-old boy, referred for evaluation due to the onset of bilateral knee pain for about two years. Pain was intermittent and walking limiting and negatively affected quality of life. Negative family history of bone/joint pathologies and kidney stones. The parents are consanguineous (first cousins), have normal stature and no histor...

Purpose: Patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) show low fitness levels before GH treatment is started. Muscular strength, flexibility and postural stability are related to health and quality of life. Since it is widely recognized that physical activity increases GH secretion and GH could ameliorate fitness, if a high adherence to treatment is documented (1), the purpose of this study is to investigate any difference on posturographic parameters and mus...

Purpose: Needs in terms of quality of life (QoL), consisting of physical, emotional and social domains, represent a hot spot in idiopathic short stature (ISS). Between ISS, it is estimated that 12% can have SHOX deficiency. Furthermore, SHOX deficiency can affect posture and GH treatment ameliorate their QoL. Although scientific research has investigated many fields of the physical domain, very few studies highlighted how this pathological condition may af...