ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: Haematological malignancies represent the most frequent cancer in children. While there is an extensive literature on testicular function in adult survivors of childhood cancer, focused on sperm and androgen production, scarce information exists on the immediate impact in prepubertal boys.Aim: To characterise testicular function, focused on Sertoli cell biomarkers, from diagnosis up to 3 years after the end...

Introduction: Primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) is a potentially life-threatening condition that requires appropriate diagnosis and treatment. The most common cause of PAI is congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), but other well-established aetiologies include metabolic and autoimmune disorders, and physical damage. Mutations in more than 30 genes have now been associated with PAI, with considerable biochemical and phenotypic overlap. It is therefore importan...

In a randomized open-label phase 3 trial in 62 children (1–12 years) with X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) (NCT 02915705), switching from conventional therapy (oral phosphate plus active vitamin D) to burosumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting fibroblast growth factor 23, significantly improved serum phosphate concentration, rickets, lower-extremity deformities, growth, mobility, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) at 64 weeks. Children in Europe, USA, Canada, and Australia wh...

Children diagnosed with adrenocortical tumors (ACT) have variable prognosis depending on disease presentation at diagnosis. Available therapeutic options render excellent outcome for a subset of patients, but limited improvement in the survival of those diagnosed with non-localized/advanced disease. ACT DNA methylation was recently demonstrated to be a robust and independent prognostic biomarker. Aiming to identify potential therapeutic targets for these children, we compared ...

Introduction: Glucocorticoid treatment remains a challenging aspect in the management of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). Current strategies for monitoring treatment are suboptimal and rely largely on frequent blood tests, which are traumatising in children and young persons (CYP). Recent evidence indicates a crucial role of 11-oxygenatedC19 androgens in the pathogenesis of CAH.Aim: To explore the use of 11-oxygenat...

Introduction: It is known that microduplications including the SOX3 gene and intragenic duplications leading to loss of function in the gene cause panhypopituitarism, which can be accompanied by intellectual failure. Here, we report the first known case of panhypopituitarism, a deletion of the X chromosome, including the SOX3 gene in the q27.1q27.3 region.Case: A 15-years and two months old male patient was referred to o...

Introduction: Gonadotoxicity associated with chemotherapy of hematologic malignancies has been described mainly in adults, focused on the sensitivity of germ cells. Little attention has been placed on Sertoli cells during childhood and puberty, even though Sertoli cell development is essential for adult spermatogenesis.Objective: To assess function of the pituitary-testicular axis, with emphasis on Sertoli cell function,...

Objectives: Data on the role of gluten in type 1 diabetes (T1D) pathogenesis are scarce. We aimed to test whether gluten-free diet (GFD) can decelerate the decline in beta-cell capacity in newly diagnosed non-coeliac T1D children.Methods: Forty six children (aged 10.2±3.3 years) were recruited into this non-randomized self-selected intervention trial: 26 started with GFD, whereas 20 remained on standard diet. Main o...

Background: The ‘External Masculinization Score’ (EMS) is an objective method of scoring undervirilized genitalia in infants but may require further adaptation to capture the appearance of the genitalia more comprehensively across the phenotypic spectrum.Objective: To develop and validate a non-binary, standardized score that describes the range of appearance of external genitalia.Method: The external genitalia score (EGS...

Background: Previously we showed that pubertal children born small for gestational age (SGA) with a poor adult height (AH) expectation can benefit from treatment with GH 1 mg/m2 per day (~0.033 mg/kg per day) in combination with 2 years of GnRH analogue (GnRHa) and even more so with a double GH dose. GnRHa treatment is thought to have negative effects on body composition and blood pressure. Long-term effects and GH-dose effects on metabolic health in children treate...