ESPE Abstracts

Objective: The balance between hypocortisolism and hyperandrogenism in patients with classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) treated with lifelong glucocorticoid (GC) is challenging. Glucocorticoid receptors are widely expressed in the brain; therefore it has been hypothesized that alterations in the exposure to glucocorticoids may affect cognitive ability in individuals with CAH. Only few studies have addressed this issue in children and results are scan...

Introduction: PROKR2 is a 384-amino acid G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) that regulates GnRH secretion in the hypothalamus. PROKR2 mutations have been described as cause of a certain percentage of of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and Kallmann syndrome.In 2017 a heterozygous frameshift gain of function mutation of PROKR2 was identified in a 3.5-year-old girl with central precocious puberty (CPP).The aim of our st...

Background: GnRH-analogs (GnRHa) are the recommended treatment for Central Precocious Puberty (CPP). Despite a normal long-term outcome is generally reported, reproductive function and emotional sphere in adulthood are still poorly evaluated.Objective: To evaluate the general long-term outcome of young women with previous CPP treated with GnRHa.Patients and Methods: A cohort of 63 ...

Background: The management of subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) is still challenging in particular for mild forms with TSH levels ranging between 4.5 and 10 mU/L.Objective and hypotheses: to compare left ventricular (LV) geometry and function of SH subjects and matched euthyroid controls, and to evaluate the effect of L-thyroxine (L-T4) therapy on cardiac parameters.Method: Thirty-six (36) children (19 females and 17 males), aged 8.6...

Background: It had never been investigated to now whether the course of thyroid function in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) may differ in the children who had presented with either euthyroidism or subclinical hypothyroidism (SH).Objective and hypotheses: To establish, by means of a 5-year prospective evaluation of 234 children with HT and no prognostic risk factors, whether thyroid status evolution over time may be conditioned by the biochemical patter...

Background: Autoimmune’s thyroiditis (AT) is the most common cause of thyroid diseases in children and adolescents with a peak in early to mid-puberty (prevalence of 0.3–1.2%). Previous studies showed a high rates of familiarity for autoimmune disease (AD) and co-existing autoimmunity in AT subjects.Objective and hypotheses: Aim of our study is to investigate familiarity for AD and co-existing autoimmunity in a large cohort of pediatric AT pati...

Background: An important issue in the management of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is the best initial dose of levothyroxine (L-T4) in order to achieve optimal neurocognitive outcomes. Both European and American guidelines suggest an initial dose of 10–15 μg/kg per die but trials on long-term effects of different doses within this range are lacking.Objective and hypotheses: This was a multicenter randomized trial to ev...

Background: The benefits of levothyroxine (L-T4) therapy in subjects with mild SH (TSH between 5 and 10 mU/l with normal FT4 values) are controversial. Current recommendations in adults suggest to start on treatment selected groups of subjects with mild SH and evidence of atherosclerotic CV disease. Data in children are lacking.Objective and hypotheses: To investigate the effect of L-T4 treat...

Background: Several metabolic abnormalities, including unfavourable lipid profile, impaired cardiac performance, muscle strength and endurance capacity have been documented in GH Deficiency (GHD) adults. Alterations in cardiac morphology and left ventricular function and early markers of cardiovascular risk have been also detected in GHD children; however, no studies have so far investigated the effects of GHD on physical performance and right ventricular (RV) function in chil...

Background: During the last years, it has been sporadically reported that Graves’ disease (GD) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) may follow one another in the same individuals, due to a sequential phenotypic conversion from GD to HT or vice versa.Objective and hypotheses: To shed further light on the specific relationships between Down syndrome (DS) and metamorphic thyroid autoimmunity.Method: We have reconstructed the con...