ESPE Abstracts

Background: Pseudohypoaldosteronism type I (PHA1) is a rare disease of mineralocorticoid resistance (MR). Neonatal manifestation leads to life-threatening dehydration due to massive salt-loss, acidosis and frequently, failure to thrive. Two clinically and genetically distinct forms exist, namely systemic and renal PHA1 caused by mutations in the subunit genes (SCNN1A, SCNN1B, SCNN1G) of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) and mineralocorticoid recep...

Background: A decade ago the ESPE/LWSPE “Consensus Group on management of intersex conditions” proposed the new term Disorders of Sex Development and its acronym DSD as an umbrella term for congenital conditions in which the development of chromosomal, gonadal, or anatomical sex is atypical. The Consensus Group intended to replace a potentially stigmatizing vocabulary; however, the new nomenclature attracted criticism.Objectiv...

Background: Rare congenital conditions with incongruence of chromosomal, gonadal, and phenotypic sex have been summarized as disorders of sex development (DSD). Included in DSD are conditions with diverse genetic etiology, varying levels of prenatal androgen effects, phenotypes, and subsequently, different medical treatments. Quality of life (QoL) and psychological wellbeing are indicators of successful psychosocial adaptation to the conditions. Studies addressing these issues...

Introduction: Acromegaly is a rare disorder, developed by overproduction of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-growth factor 1 (IGF-1), in most cases based on a pituitary adenoma. The increased IGF-1 and GH levels lead to the growth of acres and organs as well as metabolic changes. When manifesting before epiphyseal closure, a giant growth develops.Case Report: A Ukrainian girl presented at the age of 14 years with enlargem...

Introduction: The diagnosis of a disorder/difference of sexual development (dsd) is an exceptional psychosocial situation. As the diagnosis is often made in childhood, the parents are the primary communication partners. In some cases, the impossibility of immediate sex determination of the child can be a traumatic experience with a negative impact on the relationship between the parents and the child, the couple and members of the entire family. It has been recommended by the ...

Background: Kinase suppressor of Ras 2 (KSR2) gene codes for a scaffold protein modulating intracellular pathways that involve MEK/BRAF cascade and AMPK signaling. KSR2 plays an important role in energy balance regulation, and KSR2 mutations were reported to be associated with obesity and insulin resistance in mice and humans. In transfected cells, several KSR2 mutations lead to impaired fatty acid oxidation, which improved under met...

Background: In-vivo skeletal MRI imaging remains challenging due to the extremely short MR relaxation times (<1 ms) of protons bound to water in bone. However, each MRI sequence contains properties identifiable through feature-based recognition, highlighting characteristics relating to skeletal configuration. We thus present a novel statistical method for clinical 1.5 Tesla (T) MRI in quantifying trabecular microstructure and use HRpQCT to determine its accuracy.<...

Background: Differences in sexual development (DSD) are rare diagnoses, which affect the chromosomal, anatomical or gonadal sex differentiation. Although comprehensive counseling of patients and parents/carers is necessary to ensure a positive coping with the diagnosis and a well-informed decision-making, standardised programmes are lacking. Empower-DSD is a government-funded project, which developed an age-adapted multidisciplinary education programme to impr...

Background: Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is associated with an increased risk of lower socioeconomic status and a higher risk for morbidity and mortality, which may have a significant impact on quality of life (QOL). The objective of this study is to investigate QOL in a large European cohort of men with KS and associate QOL with socioeconomic status, prevalence of somatic disease and mental illness, testosterone supplementation and age of diagnosis.<p class=...

DSD-LIFE is a comprehensive clinical outcome study investigating medical, surgical, psychosocial, and ethical issues to improve treatment and care of patients with the different diagnoses included in the umbrella term disorders/differences of sex development (DSD). The multidisciplinary DSD-LIFE consortium consists of 15 experienced European scientists in the areas endocrinology, psychology, surgery, gynaecology, urology, and ethics. In 2013 the study protocol and the online d...