ESPE Abstracts

Background: Hypoglycaemia is a common metabolic condition affecting up to 15% of all neonates and 50% of neonates with risk factors including diabetic mothers, large or small for gestational age, perinatal stress, or prematurity. It is well known that severe and prolonged hypoglycaemia, as commonly seen in congenital hyperinsulinism, can lead to brain injury. However, data on the effect of mild neonatal hypoglycaemia on neurodevelopment are limited. There is s...

Background: Transient hyperinsulinism (THI) is a hypoglycemia disorder manifesting during the first days of life and usually resolving within the first weeks or months of life. Neonates exposed to pre- or perinatal stress have a higher risk to develop THI. However, the exact pathomechanism has not been elucidated yet. The objective of this study was to analyze the clinical and biochemical data of neonates with THI and a birth weight <1500 g.<p class="ab...

Background: Aim of this study was to identify possible explanations why despite improved treatment options brain damage still occurs in neonates with transient or persistent hyperinsulinism. This study might serve as a basis for future research to improve the management of neonatal hypoglycemia reducing brain injury in these children.Material and Methods: A retrospective medical chart review was conducted at the Universi...

Background: IGFALS deficiency is a rare cause of GH insensitivity (GHI). We report a German girl with short stature who was born as 2nd child at 40 weeks of gestation. Her Caucasian parents were unrelated and healthy (target height 168 cm, SDS 0.2). She was born appropriately sized for gestational age (49 cm, SDS -1.2; 2950 g, SDS-1.2). Height (104.8 cm; SDS -2.94) and height velocity (5.1 cm / year; SDS -1.67) were reduced at the age of 6 years.</p...

Background: The precision of adult height prediction by bone age determination in children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency (IGHD) is unknown.Patients and Methods: The near adult height (NAH) of patients with IGHD with prepubertal onset of growth hormone treatment (GH) in the KIGS database was compared to adult height prediction based on bone ages (BA) >7 years using the Bailey Pinneau (BP) or Tanner-Whiteho...

Background: Aldosterone synthase deficiency (ASD) is caused by biallelic inactivating CYP11B2 variants. Infants mainly present with failure to thrive and salt wasting in early infancy. Moreover, different factors may cause downregulation of aldosterone synthase and secondary deficiency.Objective and Hypotheses: We present a toddler with polyuria and polydipsia and steroid hormone precursors suggestive of ASD, bu...

Background: The treatment of preterms with hyperinsulinemic hypoglycaemia is a well-known challenge. One of the difficulties of the therapy is the excessive application of intravenous fluids to compensate high carbohydrate needs. There are various drug alternatives such as glucagon, diazoxide or somatostatin analogues apart from intravenous glucose application.Hypothesis: Intravenous or continuous subcutaneous glucagon t...

Background: Pituitary apoplexy is a clinical syndrome caused by haemorrhage of the pituitary gland, typically characterised by acute confusion, headache, vomiting and visual disturbance. It is regarded as a medical emergency. It is rare in childhood and adolescence, occurring in association with pituitary tumours. We report an unusual case of pituitary apoplexy associated with a cerebral infarction secondary to internal carotid artery compression.<p class=...

Background: A one-month-old girl was referred to our unit for osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). She was the first child of non consanguineous parents. The father had no history of fracture. The mother, 28 years-old, presented with a severe OI, short adult height (140 cm), moderate scoliosis. She had more than 20 limb fractures, no vertebral fracture and bowing limbs without need of surgery. She received Bisphosphonates during 3 years until 12 years of age. Then sh...

Mast cells are known to control mineralocorticoid synthesis and secretion in human normal adrenal gland and aldosterone-producing adenomas through release of serotonin. We recently detected these immune cells in human fetal adrenal from 18 weeks of gestation in the subcapsular layer, in correlation with the expression of steroidogenic enzymes required for aldosterone biosynthesis. This observation suggests the implication of mast cells in the mineralocorticoid synthesizing pat...