ESPE Abstracts

Background: Pubertal gynaecomastia is thought to be a clinical sign of an oestrogen-androgen imbalance, affecting up to 60% of boys. In most cases no underlying endocrinopathy can be identified. In boys, Anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) is produced by immature Sertoli cells and circulating level decreases as testosterone increases during pubertal maturation. In a previous cross sectional study we found significant lower levels of AMH in boys with pubertal gynaecomastia (Mieri...

Background: Cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) is a common complication in cystic fibrosis (CF). CFRD symptoms and treatment may impose additional burden and adversely affect their QoL.Objective and hypotheses: Assess HRQoL in CF children with normal glycaemia (CFN) and CFRD and evaluate the change in HRQoL over 1 year period along with clinical changes.Method: A prospective study was undertaken including children aged 10&#150...

Background: Tall stature is a frequent concern in pediatric endocrine clinics. However, no representative reports addressing etiology and auxological diagnostic cues at specialized healthcare presentation currently exist. We report the etiology of extreme tall stature and describe auxological cues indicative of a growth disorder.Methods: We identified 145 subjects (girls/boys: 78/67) with extreme tall stature from our in...

Background: The anogenital distance (AGD) is a well-known measure in rodents used to distinguish male and female pubs. Likewise, AGD display sex-specific differences in humans. It is considered a postnatal readout of early androgen exposure in fetal life. Thus, in postnatal life AGD is longer in boys than in girls, reduced in infants born with cryptorchidism and hypospadias as well as in boys exposed to anti-androgenic agents in fetal life. However, little is ...

Background: Childhood obesity predisposes to metabolic disorders. Low grade inflammation of adipose tissue (AT) associated with macrophage infiltration may lead to metabolic complications. Two macrophage activation states M1 (pro-inflammatory) and M2 (anti-inflammatory) exist in AT with surface markers CD40 (M1), CD206 (M2) and CD163 (M2). M1 polarization correlates with metabolic complications.Objective and hypotheses: To study the expression of CD40, C...

Background: Women with Turner syndrome (TS) are known to be at risk of osteoporosis and fracture. While childhood GH treatment is common in TS, the impact of this therapy on bone health has been poorly understood.Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of childhood GH-treatment on adult bone quality in TS women using dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and high resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT).<p c...

Introduction: Studies about pubertal onset and the menarcheal age in girls with the antecedent of idiopathic premature adrenarche (IPA) are limited and with discordant results. For these reasons, we created a cohort of girls with the diagnosis of IPA. The objectives of our study were: a) to know the age of pubertal onset; b) to evaluate menarcheal age; c) to determine the growth rate in the first two years after the IPA diagnosis; d) to collect adult height da...

Background: While GH therapy forms the mainstay of growth promoting treatment for Turner syndrome (TS), adjunctive use of oxandrolone and optimal timing of pubertal induction remain controversial. The previously published interim analysis of this randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial demonstrated that oxandrolone and pubertal induction at 14y vs 12y significantly increased final height. However, these effects were not additive.Objective: To up...

Patients with autoimmune polyendocrinopathy candidiasis ectodermal dystrophy (APECED), develop autoantibodies to multiple self-proteins. The patients have high titer autoantibodies to multiple cytokines, most prominently to type 1 interferons and cytokines associated with Th17 cell functions. In addition to these signature autoantibodies, APECED patients develop autoantibodies to many other self-proteins characteristic to autoimmune diseases and display broad autoantibody repe...

Central hypothyroidism (CeH) can be defined as a lower than desirable secretion of thyroid hormone by a normal thyroid gland resulting from (quantitative or qualitative) insufficient TSH secretion. Causes are congenital and acquired functional or anatomic defects of the hypothalamus, pituitary gland or both. CeH can be difficult to diagnose, especially in children without a history of brain defects or brain damaging treatment (e.g. irradiation), and when plasma FT4 concentrati...