ESPE Abstracts

Background: Transgirls (female-identifying adolescents assigned male at birth) can be treated with GnRH (gonadotropin releasing hormone analogs) followed by the addition of estrogens.Recently in a small cohort of 25 transgirls their average final height was reported to be +1.9 SDS (standard deviation score) calculated for adult Dutch females.High dosage estrogens can be used to stimulate bone maturation, thereb...

Background: Adolescents with gender dysphoria (GD) are treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues (GnRHa) to prevent the development of characteristics of the undesired sex. Subsequently, sex steroids of the desired sex, cross sex hormones (CSH) are added. GnRHa treatment is generally considered to be safe in the treatment of precocious puberty in children. However, we observed that some adolescents with GD developed hypertension during GnRHa monotherapy (Klink D <e...

Rationale: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a major complication of preterm birth, which pathophysiology involves systematic inflammation. Preterm infants commonly suffer from relative adrenal insufficiency (RAI) in their first week of life, resulting in an insufficient production of cortisol inappropriate for the degree of inflammation. One of the major causes of RAI is immaturity of adrenal cortex enzymes, leading to an accumulation of cortisol precursors...

Background: Inter-individual differences in the metabolism of cortisol have been postulated to emerge during puberty, and might be explained by a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. The aim of the current study was to estimate the relative contributions of genetic, shared environmental, and unshared environmental factors on cortisol metabolism in a longitudinal twin cohort assessed at pre-pubertal, mid-pubertal and post-pubertal ages....

Purpose: Transgender adolescents are treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues (GnRHa), followed by the addition of gender-affirming hormones. Since during puberty the body reaches maturation, concerns have been risen that the treatment may have negative outcome later in life. The aim of this study is to determine whether treatment with GnRHa and subsequent addition of hormones results in a more atherogenic profile than peers at the age of 22.<p class="abstext"...

Background: Differences in hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA-)axis functioning have been proposed to underlie gender-specific cardiovascular and neurocognitive disease susceptibility.Objective and hypotheses: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to test the hypothesis that gender-specific differences in HPA-axis activity are already present in childhood.Method: We searched two electronic databases (PubMed ...

Background: Birth weight (BW) is often used as a proxy for gestational age (GA) by studies on preterm birth. Recent data indicate that the terms very-low-birth-weight (VLBW; BW <1500 g) and very preterm (VP; GA <32 weeks) birth are not equivalent with regard to perinatal outcomes and postnatal growth up until final height. It is unknown whether the differences between these terms could be extended to long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes.Objectiv...

Background: Subtle impairments in the thyroid function of pregnant women are associated with poorer scores on mental developmental scales in their children at age 2–3 years, and with reduced performance in a simple reaction time test at 5–6 years. However, associations with school performance estimates have never been studied.Objective and hypotheses: We aimed to assess the effect of normal variation in the maternal thyroid function during earl...

Background: Preterm newborns are at risk of becoming transiently hypothyroxinaemic, which has been associated with neurodevelopmental impairments in childhood. It is not known whether these associations persist into adulthood.Objective and hypotheses: We studied the relation between transient hypothyroxinaemia of prematurity and IQ, neuromotor functioning and problem behaviour at young adult age.Method: This was a prospective study...

Background: Preterm birth is associated with hypertension and increased fat contents in later life. Salt sensitivity (SS) could be a mechanism underlying this relationship. In adults SS has been recognised as a cause of hypertension that is related to low birth weight and obesity.Objective and hypotheses: We studied the prevalence of SS in 7–8-year old children born <32 weeks of gestation and/or with a birth weight <1500 g as well as its rel...