ESPE Abstracts

Background: Since the initiation of neonatal screening-programs for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) in the 1970’s, an increase in the incidence of CH has been observed. This change has been attributed to the gradual use of lower TSH cut-offs that lead to the detection of milder cases of CH. Based on currently used screening cut-offs, CH occurs in approximately 1:2 000 to 1:4 000 newborns, varying by geographic location and ethnicity. A female predominance, approaching a 2:...

Background: Since the initiation of neonatal screening programs for Congenital Hypothyroidism (CH) in the 1970’s, a gradual decrease of TSH cut-off limits has been observed worldwide. Nevertheless, lack of universal consensus has led to wide variation of cut-off limits and LT4 therapy criteria among screening programs, even within the same country. The Greek neonatal CH screening program is carried out by a single laboratory that uses one of the lowest cut-off limits worl...

Background: The term Congenital Hypothyroidism (CH) describes children with subnormal thyroid hormone levels present at birth. According to literature, CH has an incidence of ~1:1500–1:3000 births with a clear predominance of females (female:male ratio 2:1) and is mainly caused by thyroid dysgenesis (80%). Low FT4 levels have been used as important criteria for CH diagnosis and treatment initiation. The Greek neonatal CH screening program has followed the TSH cut-off lowe...

Background: A high frequency of extrathyroidal congenital anomalies has been reported in infants with congenital hypothyroidism (CH) detected by neonatal screening. Current ESPE guidelines suggest that congenital malformations, underlying dysmorphic syndromes and psychomotor and language development should be sought for and monitored in CH patients. The identification of co-existing nosologies and malformations is helpful not only for clinical purposes but also for uncovering ...

Background: In vitro fertilisation (IVF) has been widely used during the last decades. Increased susceptibility to birth defects and a higher cardiometabolic risk in children born after IVF than naturally conceived (NC) children have been reported. Also, a higher incidence of hyperthyrotropinemia has been noted in children born after IVF with respect to NC children and has been attributed to an epigenetic modification of the TSH set-point.Object...

Background: Implementation of neonatal screening programs for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) has reduced related nosologies and has eradicated CH-associated mental impairment. With the decrease of the TSH cut-off limits employed to avoid false negative results, milder cases of CH are diagnosed. Obviously, in a number of patients, especially among milder CH cases, thyroid dysfunction is transient. The diagnosis of transient vs. permanent CH is established in time. No specific p...

Background: The prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically in Greece in the last two decades, and more than 35% of children and adolescents are currently overweight or obese. Prevention could be the key strategy for controlling the current epidemic of obesity.Objective and hypotheses: Prevention is the main scope of the Program entitled ‘Development of a National System for the Prevention and Management of Overweight and Obesity in Childhood a...

Background: Patients who present with clinical and laboratory findings of pituitary dysfunction and whose MRI findings reveal increased pituitary size or thickening of pituitary stalk, pose a diagnostic challenge. The differential diagnosis mainly includes dysgerminoma, histiocytosis, and hypophysitis. A non-invasive approach is often non-diagnostic.Objective and hypotheses: To present two patients with similar clinical picture and positive MRI findings,...

Background/Aim: Maternal primary adrenal insufficiency, has been infrequently described during pregnancy, due to its rarity. Based on the existing literature, maternal hormone deficiency influences pregnancy and has an impact on mother and fetus/neonate, with only a few studies emphasizing on the respective outcomes. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the impact of maternal corticosteroid deficiency during pregnancy on the fetu...

Introduction: Diabetic neuropathy (DN) is a common complication of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) with significant morbidity in adulthood. The association between DN with long term poor metabolic control is well established. However, acute painful DN may present early in the course of the disease and may be reversible.Case presentation: A female adolescent, aged 12 years, with a T1D duration of 9 months, presented with acute metabolic derrangement (HbA1c...