ESPE Abstracts

Background: Due to fewer girls than boys being GH-treated, after 50yrs the knowledge about sex-differences in both GH-response and GH-responsiveness before and during puberty remains limited.Aim: To describe factors explaining growth response to GH-treatment, separately in girls and boys from GHstart to adult height (AH).Methods: Children diagnosed with IGHD/ISS/SGA from GH-SAFETY-...

Background: Masculinisation tempo on sex-steroid replacement in boys with multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies (MPHD) and pubertal growth spurts on adequate GH-treatment regimens were unknown in 1989 and are still not optimal.Objective and Hypotheses: A hypothesis driven prototype trial1,2 was initiated in the late 80ies aiming to mimic normal puberty3 regarding both degree and tempo of masculini...

Background: Subjects born small for gestational age (SGA) are at higher risk for metabolic, hormonal and reproductive problems later in life and about 2–10% of children born SGA do not catch-up in height. All these changes may influence bone mineral density (BMD).Aim: To evaluate hormonal profile and BMD in adolescents born SGA in comparison to their peers born appropriate for gestational age (AGA).Methods: 103 children were e...

Background: We have previously shown radioimmunoassay (RIA) and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) to be comparable when analyzing estradiol and testosterone concentrations in prepubertal and pubertal children. However, the reliability for steroid hormone determination with RIA in umbilical cord blood is not known. In general, older studies using RIA show higher values of testosterone, than more recent ones using MS/MS.Patients and me...

Background: Subjects born small for gestational age (SGA) were shown to be at higher risk to later metabolic consequences but early prediction factors of changes in glucose metabolism are not clearly known.Objective and hypotheses: We aimed to investigate glucose tolerance and insulin resistance in adolescents born SGA or appropriate for gestational age (AGA) and their relationship with perinatal and postnatal factors.Method: A pro...

Background: GH promotes longitudinal growth and bone modeling/remodeling. The bone formation markers intact amino-terminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen (PINP), bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP), and osteocalcin reflect different stages in bone formation, i.e. proliferation with collagen synthesis, matrix maturation, and mineralization.Objective: The purpose was to study the time course of different bone formation markers during GH treatment i...

Background: GH is secreted in a pulsatile manner. The resulting GH peaks are known to be associated with growth, whereas the trough levels between the peaks are thought to be associated with metabolism in different tissues. GH trough levels were identified as a metabolically active signal in rats in the 1980th leading to differences in fat patterning with central obesity. Obese children are known to have low bone mass and bone mass is reduced in short children.<p class="ab...

Background: Gender differences in sex steroids and IGF1 are well known from pubertal years into adulthood. Few studies report data from pre-school years.Objective and hypotheses: To study gender specific changes in sex steroids and IGF1 at birth and at 5 years of age and correlate these with auxological measurements. There are gender differences in IGF1 levels due to differences in sex steroids already at birth and during pre-school years.<p class="a...

Background: The importance of vitamin D for skeletal health is well established and many recent reports indicate that vitamin D deficiency is linked to chronic diseases. Vitamin D status is defined by serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), and although there is no consensus on optimal levels of 25(OH)D concentrations of 50 nmol/l (20 ng/ml) meet the requirements in 97.5% of the population. In Sweden, sun cannot synthesize vitamin D during the winter, therefore supplementation is...

Background: Simple clinical investigations to differ harmless premature thelarche (PT) from pubertal precocity and other pathological conditions are needed as PT is a common condition in girls under the age of 3–4 year.Objective and hypotheses: Since 17β-oestradiol (17β-E2) is the major driver of breast development, the hypothesis is, that it is possible to define an upper serum 17β-oestradiol (17β-E2) level for harmless PT in gi...