ESPE Abstracts

Background: The periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and cervical adenitis (PFAPA) syndrome, is an autoinflammatory disease characterised by regularly recurrent fever episodes, due to seemingly unprovoked inflammation.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of the study was to assess serum 25-hydroxy cholecalciferol (25(OH)D) concentrations in children with PFAPA and to evaluate longitudinally the effect of wintertime supplementation on 25(OH)D st...

Background: Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic (chromosomal) mental retardation syndrome. In these patients, several environmental and hormonal factors contribute to low bone mineral density (BMD), among these factors, vitamin D may play a significant role in the health of patients with DS. However, poor studies have evaluated 25-hydroxy cholecalciferol (25(OH)D) levels in DS.Objective and hypotheses: The purpose of this study was to assess se...

Background: Few studies have assessed 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D] status among Italian children.Objective and hypotheses: To assess 25(OH)D in children and adolescents living in Tuscany, Italy, identifing risk factors for vitamin D deficiency in different age groups.Method: We evaluated 446 children children and adolescents (2.4–17.8 years), from Mugello (latitude 44° N), and we determined 25(OH)D, calcium, alkaline ph...

Background: Hypovitaminosis D is common in the general population. Although many studies on 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) are available on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), little data is present in juvenile onset SLE (JSLE) patients.Objective and hypotheses: This study aimed to assess serum 25(OH)D levels in JSLE patients and to identify risk factors for vitamin D deficiency in this population.Method: Forty-five consecutive Cauc...

Background: Unlike precocious puberty, early and/or fast puberty have been less studied, despite the fact that this disorder may be associated to an organic lesion at CNS level.Objective and hypotheses: We illustrate a case of early and fast puberty in a girl with an occult intra-cranial tumor.Method: The girl was the first child of non-consanguineous, Italian parents. The family had a positive history of early puberty. Target heig...

Objective: to assess the prevalence of endocrinopathies in a pediatric population of Rett syndrome (RTT) patients.Design: retrospective observational double center study.Methods: 51 caucasian patients (47 girls, 4 boy) with genetically confirmed diagnosis of RTT were enrolled (mean age: 9.65±5.9 years, range: 1-18 years). The patients were referred from the Rett Center of two It...

Background: Hereditary hypophosphatemic rickets with hypercalciuria (HHRH) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by rickets, muscle weakness, bone pain, nephrocalcinosis or nephrolithiasis. It is caused by mutation in SLC34A3 gene, encoding for renal sodium-phosphate cotransporter IIc (NaPi-IIc).Case: A patient aged 10 years came for evaluation for bone pain at lower limbs. He was born at full term from no...

Introduction: Mandibular hypoplasia, Deafness, Progeroid features, Lipodystrophy (MDPL) syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant disorder caused by mutation in POLD1 gene, which encodes the catalytic subunit of the DNA polymerase delta (Polδ) enzyme.Case: a 6.5-year-old boy presented to the outpatient clinic due to severe thinness (BMI -4.86 SDS, WHO 2006 growth charts). Examination of his medical history rev...

Background: Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder caused by the absence or severely impaired activity of enzymes involved in adrenal steroid biosynthesis, with over 90% of cases resulting from 21-hydroxylase deficiency. The initial presentation of CAH can range from a dramatic adrenal crisis with salt loss to more subtle signs such as female genital ambiguity or male scrotal hyperpigmentation. Timely identification...

Background: Pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) refers to a group of rare diseases characterized by post-receptor resistance to parathyroid hormone and other protein hormones (TSH, GHRH, LH, FSH), due to defects in the Gsα protein. PHP can be associated with the phenotype known as Albright’s hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO), which includes round face, short stature, brachydactyly, ectopic ossifications and mental retardation. Diagnosis often stem out fro...