ESPE Abstracts

In Belgium, neonatal TSH screening for congenital hypothyroidism has been performed between day 3 and 5 of life since the late seventies. In January 2015, a policy of early discharge of healthy neonates was implemented so that the neonatal screening strategy had to be adapted. Between January 2015 and September 2019, dried blood spot sampling was mostly collected at home AFTER discharge at 72 h of life (Newborn Screening Strategy 1 (NBS1)). After October 2019, sampling was mos...

Introduction: Graves’ diseases is a rare autoimmune disease in children. Viral infections are considered as a trigger for autoimmune thyroid disorders. A temporal association between SARS-CoV-2 and a novel pediatric hyperinflammatory condition called Paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome has been reported in 2020, raising questions about the link between SARS-CoV-2 and autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases. Over the last year (2021), we noticed...

Introduction: Very short stature is a common presenting complain that gives rise to numerous investigations. FBN1 heterozygous mutations cause acromelic dysplasia syndromes. The phenotypic spectrum of these growth disorders is broad, ranging from short stature with short extremities, stiff joints, skin thickening with tracheal stenosis and cardiac valvulopathy to nearly isolated short stature. Here, we report on a girl with disproportionate short stat...

Introduction: Orthodenticle homeobox 2 (OTX2) is a transcription factor that plays a critical role in brain and eye development. Heterozygous deleterious mutations in this gene lead to eye malformation such as anophthalmia, microphthalmia, coloboma or optic nerve hypoplasia, normal or hypoplastic pituitary gland and normal or ectopic posterior pituitary gland with isolated growth hormone deficiency or combined pituitary hormone deficiency. There is no...

Background: In 2013, Abreu et al identified loss-of function mutation in the MKRN3 gene of fifteen patients from five families with idiopathic central precocious puberty (iCPP), highlighting the implication of this maternally imprinted gene in this still poorly understood condition. Since this study, other mutations have been described and now represent the most common genetic cause of iCPP.Objective: The objective of th...

Background: Despite the fact that pituitary stalk interruption syndrome (PSIS) is a frequent finding in children with combined GH deficiency (CGHD), clinical data are still limited and the growth response to GH treatment has not been evaluated in comparison with CGDH with a normal stalk.Objective and hypotheses: To report the clinical and hormonal findings and evaluate the short term growth response to GH in Belgian children with congenital non-syndromat...

Background and Aim: A substantial proportion of SGA patients have a syndrome underlying their growth restriction. Most SGA cohorts comprise both syndromic (S-SGA) and non-syndromic patients (nonS-SGA) impeding delineation of the recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) response. We present a detailed characterization of the Belgian SGA cohort and analyze rhGH response based on adult height (AH).Patients & Methods: Cli...

Background: A combination of GH and a gonadotropin releasing hormone analogue (GnRH a) is hypothesized to improve adult height in children with a poor adult height prediction.Study design: In this multicenter study, 24 girls in early puberty (bone age ≤12.0 y),with a predicted adult height ≤151.0 cm and normal body proportions were treated with GH (Zomacton) 50 μg/kg per day and triptorelin (Gonapeptyl) 3.75 mg/month SC or IM (for 4 year...

Background: The potential benefit of growth hormone (GH) therapy on health-related QOL (HQoL) of children with short stature related to GH deficiency (GHD) or smallness for gestational age (SGA) has not been well documented.Objective and hypotheses: Our objective was to assess potential disease and treatment related predictors for a poor HQoL in GH treated children. Children with male gender, SGA disorder, greater height deficit at start of GH and poor h...

Background: A combination of GH and a GnRH agonist is sometimes used to improve adult height in children with a poor height prediction, only few studies support this.Study design: In this multicenter study, 24 short girls in early puberty, with a bone age below 12.0 years, an adult height prediction below 151.0 cm and normal body proportions were treated with GH (Zomacton) transjections 50 μg/kg per day and triptorelin (Decapeptyl) i.m. (3.75 mg/mon...