ESPE Abstracts

Background: Achondroplasia, the most prevalent skeletal dysplasia in children, is a multisystemic disease resulting from a common mutation in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) gene. This mutation disrupts endochondral ossification, leading to disproportionate short stature. Historically, management has been primarily supportive due to the absence of targeted therapies. However, recent advancements have led to clinical trials for potential treatme...

Background: Woodhouse-Sakati syndrome (WSS) is a rare, autosomal recessive genetic disorder with variable clinical manifestations mainly affecting the endocrine and nervous systems. Diabetes mellitus is one endocrine manifestation but there are no comprehensive data on the epidemiology, clinical features, underlying mechanisms, and management, particularly within the Qatari population.Methods: This retrospective study wa...

Context: Monogenic obesity (MO) is a rare form of obesity due to pathogenic variants in genes implicated in the leptin-melanocortin signaling pathway and accounts for around 5% of severe early-onset obesity. Mutations in the MC4R and Leptin genes are the commonest causes of MO. Determining the genetic causes has important clinical benefits as novel therapeutic interventions were developed for some forms of MO.Objective:<...

Background: Obesity is highly prevalent in the MENA region, especially in children and it has been associated with neurodegeneration. We have undertaken corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) to assess for evidence of neurodegeneration in children with simple obesity and monogenic obesity (MC4R gene mutation) and further assessed the effect of glucagon-like peptide 1 agonist (GLP-1) therapy on corneal nerve regeneration.Methods:</stro...

Background: Childhood obesity is highly prevalent in the MENA region and may be associated with sub-clinical neuropathy.Methods: Children with obesity with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and Type 2 diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and healthy controls (HC) underwent body composition analysis, assessment of vibration perception threshold (VPT), monofilament sensitivity and corneal confocal micros...

Background: Childhood obesity presents a significant global health concern, leading to long-term morbidity and mortality. While lifestyle interventions remain fundamental, pharmacological approaches, particularly using glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, show promise in certain patient populations. However, studies exploring this avenue, particularly in the Middle East and North African region, are limited. This study aims to share our experienc...