ESPE Abstracts

Background: To delineate testicular responses to gonadotropin replacement in young males with genetically proven CHH.Patients and Methods: In n=72 young males with CHH and at least one variant detected within twenty-four investigated known CHH genes, gonadotropin replacement with hCG and rFSH s.c. was performed over a mean of 2±1 years. Bi-testicular volumes and serum Inhibin B served as baseline parameters, ...

Males with Klinefelter syndrome (KS) have impaired gonadal function due to sex chromosome aneuploidy (47,XXY), ultimately resulting in testicular atrophy and hypergonadotropic azoospermia, thus infertility. At what time serum testosterone (T) concentrations decline in affected individuals, thereby indicating lifelong replacement, is not predictable. An early testosterone treatment provides potential benefits with respect to body composition, neuro-muscular function and final h...

Background: In males with congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH), LH/FSH stimulation of gonads is deficient. In clinical practice, two hormone replacement strategies are employed to induce and maintain virilisation: Treatment with testosterone and gonadotropin replacement with hCG/rFSH.Objective: To delineate the role of gonadotropins in pathways of male androgen biosynthesis and to thereby better define the gona...

Introduction: An optimized replacement regimen with glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids in subjects with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) aims at preventing life-threatening salt wasting and adrenal crises, virilization and pubertal precocity, and at enabling normal linear growth.Aims: We investigated puberty and its impact on final height in children and adolescents with CAH.Patients and Methods: In a cohort of post-pubesce...

Background: Final height in patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is generally assumed to be lower than the population norm. Besides CAH subtype and age at diagnosis, timing of pubertal development is considered to have a significant impact on final height. In most CAH patients, puberty starts within normal ranges, although at a somewhat earlier mean age compared to reference populations. CAH-complicating gonadotropin-dependent precocious puberty has been reported...

Background: Wolfram syndrome (WS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder, characterised by early-onset diabetes and optic atrophy. It is caused by mutations in WFS1.Objective and hypotheses: This study aimed to comprehensively review the natural history of WS in a large cohort of patients from the EURO-WABB registry.Method: Data from EURO-WABB patients with WS was analysed in conjunction with the Leiden Open Variation Data...

Background: Differences in sexual development (DSD) are rare diagnoses, which affect the chromosomal, anatomical or gonadal sex differentiation. Although comprehensive counseling of patients and parents/carers is necessary to ensure a positive coping with the diagnosis and a well-informed decision-making, standardised programmes are lacking. Empower-DSD is a government-funded project, which developed an age-adapted multidisciplinary education programme to impr...

Background: Within the government-funded project Empower-DSD, modular training programmes for children and young adults aged 6-24 years with the diagnoses CAH, Turner-syndrome, Klinefelter-syndrome or XX-/XY-DSD (including MRKH) and their relatives were developed to improve diagnosis-specific knowledge, skills and empowerment. Overall, 105 trainings were offered between August 2020 and September 2022 in 5 centres with DSD expertise in Germany.<p class="abs...

Background: Prenatal dexamethasone treatment (Pdex) has been used since the 1980s to prevent virilization in female offspring suspected to have congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). However, due to lack of strong evidence for its best practice as well as limited data regarding long term adverse effects, use of dex is highly controversial. This study reveals the current medical practice regarding Pdex in female fetuses at risk of CAH due to 21 hydroxylase defic...