ESPE Abstracts

Background: Regional variations in height standard deviation scores (SDS) are documented in the literature due to a multitude of factors such as diverse ethnicities, social determinants, migration patterns, and lifestyle. Referrals to pediatric endocrine clinics for short stature are frequent, often guided by standardized criteria set for primary care or clinical indications from secondary care in the UK.Objective: 1) To...

Background: Monogenic nonsyndromic obesity is severe, has early-onset with abnormal eating behaviour and endocrine disorders. Leptin(LEP), Leptin receptor (LEPR), and Melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) gene mutations are identidied as the cause of early-onset childhood obesity. These pathogenic mutations are rare and have been described in less than 50 obese individuals worldwide, from consanguinous families.A cohort of Pakistani obese children from consanguineous...

Background: Neonatal screening is a preventive strategy for various endocrine, metabolic and genetic conditions. Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is one of the most common preventable and treatable causes of intellectual disability, and delayed diagnosis can lead to disastrous consequences. Incidence of CH is1:3000-1:4000 neonates worldwide but data varies globally. Pakistan lacks a national newborn screening programme for any inherited disease, but Aga Khan Uni...

Introduction: Craniopharyngiomas are benign midline intracranial tumors commonly seen in pediatric population. They constitute approximately 10% of primary brain tumors in children which can cause considerable morbidity and mortality due to local aggressiveness of tumor itself or its treatment effecting hypothalamo-pituitary axis, visual defects, and effects of raised intracranial pressure The aim of this study is to report the characteristics of epidemiologic...

Introduction Up to 75% of Cerebral palsy(CP) children are of spastic diplegic & quadriplegic types with severe malnutrition found in 35% of them which is multifactorial. Motor impairment is strongly corelated with Gross Motor Function Classification(GMFCS) level 3 and above, malnutrition, and low bone mineral density(BMD) assessed via dual energy x-ray absorptiometry(DXA) scan. These children have low age adjusted BMD z scores <-2SD subsequently increas...

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of weight-based threshold levels for 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) in screening newborns for 21 hydroxylases deficiency-congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH)Design: In April 2021 CAH screening was incorporated into the ongoing newborn screening program at aga khan university Hospital Karachi Pakistan,17OHp was assayed through Spectro fluorometry of ...

Background: Congenital Hypothyroidism stands as the most common congenital endocrine disorder in childhood and a leading preventable cause of mental retardation. Despite its prevalence, global newborn detection rates remain suboptimal. The main hurdle in implementing newborn screening in Pakistan is lack of healthcare infrastructure coupled with lack of prevalence data and economic crises. The Aga Khan University Hospital spearheaded congenital hypothyroidism ...