ESPE Abstracts

Context: Neonatal hypoglycemia due to congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is a potentially life-threatening condition. Severe forms of CHI, caused by autosomal recessive variants in KATP channel subunit genes (ABCC8, KCNJ11), are more prevalent in regions with high consanguinity. These regions also have a high neonatal mortality rate with many deaths remaining unexplained.Patients and Methods: We analyze...

Introduction: Statural growth is regulated by multiple genetic, epigenetic and environmental mechanisms. The GH-IGF-1 axis was long believed to be the main linear growth regulator in children until more recent studies showed that the complex regulation of growth plate chondrocytes play an equal role. In order to extend our knowledge about the genes involved in short stature, we studied a unique cohort of children with short stature from consanguineous families...

Introduction: Monogenic diabetes has been estimated to be 1 - 6% of all diabetic cases in European countries which are primarily non consanguineous populations, while the incidence in highly consanguineous areas is insufficiently defined. However, the genetic aetiology of monogenic diabetes has been shown to be widely different in areas with prevalent consanguinity compared to areas with lower rates. In this single-centre study, we aimed to evaluate the preval...

Background: Approximately 10% of children born small for gestational age (SGA) fail to catch-up nd remain short (SGA-SS). Although several mechanisms causing SGA-SS have been elucidated, the primary cause remains speculative in most cases.Aim: To decipher genetic causes of SGA-SS defined as birth length and/or birth weight <-2 SD for gestational age, and body height <-2.5 SD after the 3rd year of life within a larg...

Introduction: The diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is complex, involving the combination of auxological, laboratory, and radiological findings. This includes growth hormone (GH) stimulation tests, which are done to confirm the diagnosis. It has been discussed that these tests have low specificity, potentially leading to false positive results. Therefore, children with GHD are regarded as a heterogeneous group with varied causes of short stature. Ne...

Background: Ten percent of children born small for gestational age fail to catch-up and remain short during childhood (SGA-SS). Several genes causing SGA-SS have been described, however, in most cases, the mechanisms of prenatal and postnatal growth impairment remain unknown.Aim: To decipher genetic etiologies within a large single-center cohort of SGA-SS children in order to better understand the pathophysiological mech...

Background: Subtle phenotypic differences have previously been described among children with varied genetic subtypes of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) – 15q11-q13 paternal microdeletion, maternal uniparental disomy (mUPD), and rare imprinting center defects. The MKRN3 gene, located on 15q11.2, is a master regulator of pubertal initiation and is a candidate gene for abnormal pubertal development in PWS.Objective and hy...