ESPE Abstracts

Quantitative analysis of endogenous and exogenous steroid hormones is an important step for our understanding of the causes of endocrine disorders in pediatric. In this study, we developed a method to simultaneously quantify endogenous and exogenous steroids in pediatric urine and plasma. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to simultaneously quantify steroid hormones in children plasma and urine. Under the optimum conditions, th...

Introduction: Steroid profiling in children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is used to monitor the balance between androgen and cortisol metabolites and to decide on the optimal glucocorticoid dosage. Twenty-four hour collection is the gold standard for measurement of steroid metabolites in urine, because steroid production follows a circadian rhythm and is influenced by short-term stress and steroid drugs. For some children, e.g. those who were diap...

Background: The Prader and Quigley classifications (P/Q-C), used widely to evaluate external/internal genitalia in differences/disorders of sexual development (DSD) patients, are sometimes unsuitable for determining the stage/grade because they were originally designed to assess 46,XX 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21OHD) and 46,XY androgen receptor defects (ARD), respectively. The external masculinization score (EMS) is also used to assess masculinization of the ...

Introduction: The Insulin Autoimmune Syndrome (IAS or Hirata Disease) is rare among children. Non-ketotic hyperinsulinaemic hypoglycemia and the presence of insulin auto-antibody (IAA) are the conditions to diagnose the syndrome. The occurrence of hypoglycemia is due to the binding of the antibody to the insulin molecule at the immediate postprandial, followed by this binomial dissociation, which releases free insulin on serum and triggers symptomatic hypoglycaemia.<p clas...

Background: The C19MC locus microRNA gene cluster is imprinted in the placenta. Imprinted genes control prenatal development and placental functions, and are epigenetically regulated. The factors that affect the DNA methylation status of C19MC regulatory region are unknown, as is the impact of this differential methylation on the offspring’s body size.Objectives: To study in humans 1) the association of placental C19MC DNA...

Background: “Transient” Neonatal Diabetes Mellitus (TNDM) is a rare genetic beta cells dysfunction leading to hyperglycaemia that resolves in early childhood. About 80% of patients relapse during adolescence or adulthood. Glucose homeostasis had not been investigated in adulthood.Objective and hypotheses: To investigate insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity in adults affected with TNDM or in their 1st degree mutated relatives.</p...

Background: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 11β-hydroxylase deficiency (11OHD), a rare autosomal recessive disorder, is the second most common form of CAH, resulting in glucocorticoid deficiency, hyperandrogenism and hypertension.Objective and hypotheses: To investigate the specific CAH mutations in CYP11B1 gene and to examine for genotype-phenotype correlations.Method: 21 patients (n=9, 46, XX; <...

Background: FOP is an ultra-rare, severely disabling genetic disorder characterised by progressive heterotopic ossification (HO) following flare-ups. The median age at diagnosis is 5 years, and patients are managed by multiple specialties. No study to date has provided a longitudinal evaluation of FOP. Final data are presented for participants, aged <25 years, enrolled in the first 36-month, prospective, global natural history study of FOP (NCT02322255).</...

Objective: Remission rates in young people with Graves’ hyperthyroidism are 25% or less after a 2-yr course of thionamide antithyroid drug (ATD). Immunomodulatory agents could potentially improve outcome by facilitating immune tolerance. We wanted to explore whether rituximab, a B lymphocyte depleting agent, would increase remission rates when administered with a short course of ATD.Design: This was an investigator-...

Introduction: Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) is a rare condition, where a definitive diagnosis is often hard to reach.Objectives: To describe the clinical, biochemical and genetic findings in cases with suspected HH in the West of Scotland who were referred for genetic analysis between 2016 and 2020.Methods: Information was collected on clinical assessment including family hist...