ESPE Abstracts

Background: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is caused by autoimmunity against the pancreatic beta-cell. Although a significant number of T1DM patients develop further autoimmune disorders during lifetime, coexisting severe immunodysregulation is rare.Objective and hypotheses: Presuming autosomal-recessive inheritance in a complex immunodysregulation disorder including T1DM in two siblings born to consanguineous parents, we performed whole exome sequencin...

While it had been widely believed at the end of last century that most problems in steroid metabolism had already been solved, and not much more significant discoveries were to be expected anymore, recent exciting observations and rediscoveries have initiated a renaissance in steroid metabolism research. These revolutionary findings have often been initially made in animals and have also significantly been driven by new steroid analytical techniques based on mass spectrometry....

While steroid hormones as universal signals of intercellular communication arose very early in the evolution of life, it was only recently that their isolation and structural elucidation has been achieved. Steroid hormones are small, structurally closely related molecules sharing the typical 4-cyclic sterane basic structure. However, there is a big diversity of functionally different steroid hormones and their metabolism is complex. Thus, their analysis is highly challenging. ...

Background: The majority of children with primary nephrogenic diabetes insipidus grow below the third centile.Objective and hypotheses: Effect of rhGH treatment on growth in a patient with primary nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.Results: The patient is an 11-years and 2 month old Caucasian boy of unrelated healthy parents. At the age of 7 years and 9 month he was admitted to our hospital for evaluation of polydipsia and polyuria. Hi...

Background: Due to its short half-life, conventional biosynthetic human growth hormone needs to be given daily which may represent a burden for patients and their families. Novel long-acting growth hormone (GH) formulations are under development and enable reduced injection frequency through once weekly administration. Two surveys were designed to collect first insights and expectations towards new long-acting formulations. Metho...

Background: Treatment of children with classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a difficult balance between hypercortisolism and hyperandrogenism. Biochemical monitoring of treatment is not well defined.Objective: Retrospective software-assisted analysis of urinary steroid metabolome analysis obtained by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for treatment monitoring of children with CAH.<p class="abstex...

Background: Autoimmune primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) is a rare and life-threatening disease. Standard replacement therapy consists of multiple daily doses of hydrocortisone combined with fludrocortisone. A recent Endocrine Society guideline argued against hormonal monitoring of glucocorticoid replacement. However, about 50% of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with chronic diseases are non-adherent to their prescribed treatment regimens. Pervasive nonadherence places p...

Background: Infants with severe insulin resistance syndrome show failure to thrive.Objective and hypotheses: Effect of rhIGF1 treatment on growth in a patient with severe insulin resistance syndrome.Method: Case report.Results: The patient is a 4-years-old Caucasian girl of unrelated healthy parents. She was born after a 40 weeks gestation as a small for gestational age infant with a birth weight of 1970 g. A...

Drugs can interfere with immunoassays causing false measurements. Trientine (triethylene tetramine dihydrochloride) is a chelator of copper and is used in the treatment of patients with Wilson's disease as alternative for penicillamine. Trientine mainly increases urinary copper excretion leading to a negative copper balance. Serum concentrations of trientine reached under treatment are not known. This is the first report of an interference of trientine with two chemilumine...

Objective: Cluster analysis of urinary steroid metabolome analysis obtained by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for treatment monitoring of infants with classic salt-wasting CAH. Methods: We evaluated metabolome analysis of spot urine samples of 60 young children ≤4 years of age (29 females) with classic CAH due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency treated with hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone. Subjects were divide...