ESPE Abstracts

Background: Congenital hypopituitarism (CH) is characterized by a deficiency of one or more pituitary hormones. Mutations in the genes coding for transcription factors, such HESX1, involved in the development of the pituitary, determine a highly variable phenotype which may include severe midline defects, septo-optic dysplasia and other congenital abnormalities. A small number of HESX1 variants have been identified in humans. The phenotype sh...

Background: The diagnosis of GHD in children is based on auxological, biochemical, neuro-radiological, and genetic tests. Biochemical tests include evaluation of stimulated GH secretion and baseline IGF-1 determination. Although IGF-1 is the most reliable indicator of GH action, its value should always be interpreted in conjunction with other clinical and biochemical parameters. Since IGF-1 has good specificity (about 90%), but low sensitivity (about 70%), nor...

Background: Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) is an amino acid peptide produced under the effect of Growth Hormone (GH), mostly secreted by the liver, which stimulates bone growth. IGF-1 levels have high specificity and low sensitivity for the diagnosis of Growth Hormone Deficiency (GHD). Higher IGF-1 levels are classically associated with a better response to growth hormone therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between serum IGF...