ESPE Abstracts

Background: Wiedemann Steinert Syndrome (WSS) is characterized by distinctive facial features (hypertelorism, thick eyebrows, long philtrum, broad nasal bridge), growth retardation, and intellectual disability of varying degrees. Affected individuals are often born small for their gestational age and have generalized hypertrichosis. Some have growth hormone deficiency, usually partial with normal pituitary MRI. The disease is caused by autosomal dominant varia...

Introduction: Neonatal hypoglycemia (NH) affects about 15% of all neonates and about 50% of neonates born with risk factors, including maternal diabetes, large- or small for gestational age, or prematurity. Although it is known that hypoglycemia in congenital hyperinsulinism can lead to brain injury, it is still not clear to what extent transitional NH is tolerated during the first days of life without brain damage. Thus, treatment thresholds and management st...

Background: The contribution of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and parental height (PH) to childhood short stature is difficult to determine in countries, including the UK, where birth length (BL) is not routinely measured, while accurate PH may become unavailable due to separation/divorce. A previous study (2008–2009) examined the feasibility of BL and PH measurement in the lightest 9% of babies born in a single maternity unit. Uptake was disappointing, with part...

The use of recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAV) as safe vectors have allowed hundreds of gene therapy attempts to treat monogenic diseases not including bone genetic diseases (Gao G, Nat Rev Drug Dis 2019). To our knowledge, there has been few attempts to apply gene therapy to monogenic bone diseases, largely because most skeletal malformations are being developed during fetal life. Patients affected with acrodysostosis are known to aggravate their skeletal malformation...

Type 1 diabetes is one of the most challenging long-term conditions to manage. On an average day the person with diabetes is expected to check their glucose multiple times, plan their dietary intake so that they are able to administer the calculated dose of insulin, via an insulin pump or injection, 15 minutes before the meal. They need to constantly strive for optimal glucose levels but the inherent variability in insulin requirements means that this often results in debilita...

Background: Patients with genetic variants in the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) pathway may present with early-onset, severe obesity and hyperphagia. Increasing awareness of genetic testing could improve diagnosis of rare genetic causes of obesity and identify patients who might benefit from targeted therapy; however, such testing has been limited. Moreover, the frequency of specific genetic variants in this population is currently unknown. The Rare Obesity A...

Background: Branchio-oto-renal (BOR) syndrome is a rare inheritable condition affecting the ears, 2nd branchial arch structures and the urinary system. Recognised features include hearing loss, structural defects of the ear, branchial defects, and a variety of renal malformations. Causative genetic variants have been identified as SIX1 and EYA1, accounting for approximately 49% of all cases of BOR syndrome. Short stature has not commonly been described in BOR syndrome, but is ...

Context: The majority of congenital isolated growth hormone deficiency (IGHD) cases are idiopathic.Recent research has shed light on the genetic aetiologies of congenital hypopituitarism. HESX1 and GLI2 are two transcription factors, amongst a cascade of other transcription factors and signalling molecules, involved in the development of the pituitary gland. Mutations in both genes have been shown to cause congenital hypopituitarism with varying phenotypes.</p...

Objective: Metabolic programming occurs during early life and nutritional factors are known to have long-lasting influences on metabolic health. We investigate associations between insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), leptin and adiponectin during infancy and metabolic markers in the same children at six years of age.Method: The Swedish longitudinal Halland Health and Growth birth cohort study is population-based, origi...

Introduction: Type 1 diabetes has a major impact on not only the person diagnosed, but also their families/carers. Diabetes control is affected by many factors. Our diabetes patient cohort has a very high level of social burden which we feel impacts significantly on the management of their diabetes.Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of all young people supported by the Evelina London Children’s Hospital diabetes team in 2017 looking at a...