ESPE Abstracts

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a group of rare congenital disorders of the adrenal cortex due to a defect in one of the enzymes involved in steroid synthesis leading to cortisol deficiency and overproduction of adrenal androgens. In the most severe forms CAH is a life threatening disease due to the risk of Addisonian and salt wasting crisis. In the last 50 years diagnostics and treatment improved significantly. Patients are treated with lifelong replacement of glucoco...

Introduction: Turner syndrome is a relatively common chromosomal abnormality affecting 1:2000 girls. Virilization can occur in girls with Turner syndrome which is in most cases associated with the presence of an Y chromosome. Mosaicism is found in 25% of the karyotypes, in 6% of those the Y chromosome is present. This could lead to development of androgen producing gonadoblastoma/dysgerminoma. Active screening to search for Y chromosomal material is included i...

Background: Mutations in the gene encoding the natriuretic peptide receptor-2 gene (NPR2) are responsible for monogenic growth disorders. Loss-of-function variants cause extreme short stature and skeletal dysplasia. Gain-of-function mutations cause tall stature with - in some cases - macrodactyly of the great toes, a Marfanoid habitus, arachnodactyly and scoliosis. We describe a novel gain-of-function mutation in exon 8 of NPR2 in a family wi...

Background: Central diabetes insipidus (CDI) is caused by deficiency of antidiuretic hormone (ADH). Patients with CDI are at risk for fluid balance disturbances, especially when there is impaired thirst perception or inability to access water freely. Serum sodium measurement gives a good reflection of the actual fluid balance but is generally not available in the home situation. For patients in which CDI is difficult to manage sodium measurement at home may be a good instrumen...

Background: Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) is a rare group of congenital adrenal diseases with an estimated prevalence of about ten newly diagnosed patients in the Netherlands per year. Morbidity and mortality improved significantly in the last 20 years mainly due to improvement of multidisciplinary care and education of patients and parents. In the last years the role of the nurse practitioner (NP) as case manager in the care and follow up of patients with chronic disea...

Background: Solidarity-based healthcare systems face significant challenges due to the rising costs of new and highly expensive medicines for cancer and rare diseases. The Dutch government introduced the Coverage Lock (CL) policy in 2015 to restrict access to reimbursement for such drugs. The CL has raised controversy around its ethical acceptability. Some claim the CL is necessary to secure solidarity while others have pointed out that its leads to unfair ine...

Background: Current literature suggests an important role of both endocrine disruptors and genetic factors in the occurrence of cryptorchidism.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of the study is to investigate the impact of variants in INSL3 and HOXD13 genes in the pathogenesis of isolated cryptorchidism in Greece. 43 boys with isolated cryptorchidism and 50 healthy non-cryptorchidic boys (control group) were enrolled.<p class="abstex...

Introduction: Osteoporosis pseudoglioma syndrome (OPPG) is a rare autosomal recessive disease which is caused by mutations in the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5 (LRP5) gene and is characterized by severe early – onset osteoporosis and vitreoretinal complications leading to blindness by young adulthood.Case presentation: We present a case of an 8 years old boy, who was initially referred to our d...

Background: Non-idiopathic central precocious puberty (CPP) is caused by acquired or congenital hypothalamic lesions visible on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or associated with various complex genetic and/or syndromic disorders without visible lesions on MRI. We investigated the different types and prevalences of non-isolated CPP phenotypes in a large group of consecutive patients with CPP.Methods: This observational cohort study included all patient...

Background: In our bone unit, we were following since their younger age, two brothers with a severe osteogenesis imperfecta. We had no genetic confirmation but the severity of the disease combined with unaffected consanguine parents argues for a recessive autosomal transmission. Both present with highly severe form of osteogenesis imperfecta: repeated vertebral and peripheral fractures, long bone deformations, centromedullary nails on the lower limbs, major motor handicap and ...