ESPE Abstracts

Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) occurs in approximately 1:2000–1:3000 newborns in Italy. Lowering of the TSH cut-off was the most important factor contributing to the increase of CH incidence in Italy. The aim of this study is the determination of the prevalence of CH in northwest Sicily, evaluated by the single screening centre of the Children Hospital ‘G. Di Cristina’, ARNAS, Palermo. From January 2013 to December 2017, 79.699 newborns were screened testing TSH...

Background: Disorders of sex development (DSD) are often due to disruption of the genetic programs that regulate gonad development. Some genes have been identified in these developmental pathways such as DAX-1, SOX-9, GATA-4 and others. The GATA-4 gene, located on chromosome 8p23.1, encodes GATA-binding protein 4 (GATA-4), a transcription factor that is essential for cardiac and gonadal development and sexual differentiation. Congenital heart disease (CHD) and...

Micropenis is defined as a penile length less than 2.5 SD below the mean value for a given age (eg, <2.5 cm at term). Nowadays, it should be also diagnosed in utero by sonography. The incidence of micropenis has been reported as 1.5/10.000 male infants in Usa, 5/1.442 in France and 18/2710 in Brazil, suggesting geographical differences or different assessment. Micropenis represents a clinical sign, that may be part of various clinical conditions, such as hypogonad...

Pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) is an hereditary disorder characterized by resistance to parathyroid hormone (PTH) and in varying degrees to TSH, GHRH and FSH/LH, and caused by loss-of-function mutations in the GNAS gene, encoding the membrane protein Gs-alpha. Pathognomonic of these patients is a dysmorphic phenotype, called Albright's Osteodystrophy, which includes short stature, obesity, round face, mental delay, subcutaneous ossifications and brachydactyly. The most fr...

Background: Distal chromosome 16 duplication syndrome, also known as 16q partial trisomy, is a very rare genetic disorder. Smaller chromosomal copy number variants (CNVs) within the 16q region create partial trisomies, which occur less frequently than full trisomy 16q. Trisomy 16q is generally associated with a multisystemic phenotype including intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), brain and cardiac defects, intellectual disability and an increased risk of b...

Background:Short stature may be due to various pathological conditions or may be idiopathic. SHOX (Short Stature Homeobox on X chromosome) gene is involved in the regulation of skeletal growth and is a main cause of short stature on monogenic basis. The frequency of this condition in children with idiopathic short stature (ISS) was reported to range from 2 to 17%. The phenotypic spectrum is heterogeneous, varying from Léri-Weill dyschondrosteosis (LWD) ...

Introduction and objective: Gonadectomy was carried out for a long time after the diagnosis of complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS). It is now recommended to leave the gonads in situ in order to guarantee endogenous hormone production. It is unclear how best to clinically monitor testicular function. The aim of the study was to investigate whether inhibin B can be used as a future follow-up parameter to screen for gonadal function in CAIS p...

Background: Bilateral adrenal haemorrhage is rare in the neonates and more rarely does it manifest itself as acute adrenal insufficiency (AI). Cytomegalovirus (CMV)-associated AI is a well-known in adults with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. AI is not a common finding in children with congenital CMV infection. We describe herein the case of a newborn infant presenting with adrenal hematomas (AH), AI and congenital CMV infection.Case report: A 20 day-...

Introduction: Testicular adrenal rest tumor (TART) is the most important cause of infertility in male with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). TART is a benign tumor, mainly bilateral (75-80%), usually diagnosed in under-treated CAH male with hypercorticotropinemia, which generally regresses after glucocorticoids therapy adjustment. However, it may determine an irreversible damage by compression and toxic-paracrine effects on the surrounding testicular t...

Background: McCune–Albright syndrome (MAS) is a sporadic and rare disorder, clinically defined by the classic triad of cafè-au-lait skin lesions, polyostotic fibrous dysplasia, and peripheral precocious puberty. Precocious puberty is common in girls, but has been reported in only 15% of affected boys. Clinical trials on therapeutic management of precocious puberty in MAS boys are limited to case reports or small patient cohorts and no data are reported about final he...