ESPE Abstracts

Although craniopharyngiomas are low-grade tumours, long-term survivors frequently suffer from severe morbidity due to hypothalamic lesions, such as hypothalamic obesity, that is largely resistant to lifestyle modification and pharmacotherapy. We investigated the efficacy of bariatric surgery in two patients with craniopharyngioma-related hypothalamic obesity during 18 months of follow-up. Patient n1, diagnosed with craniopharyngioma and treated with complete surgical excision ...

A 5-years-old boy was admitted because of polydipsia and polyuria. His family history was unremarkable. After water deprivation test (10h), laboratory test showed high levels of serum sodium (150.1 mmol/L), low urine osmolarity (88 mOsm/kg) and high serum osmolarity (301 mOsm/kg) consistent with the diagnosis of central diabetes insipidus (CDI). He started therapy with oral desmopressin with clinical improvement. Brain MRI revealed pituitary stalk thickening (3 mm), no hyperin...

Background and aim: Congenital growth hormone deficiency (cGHD) is a rare but life-threatening condition whose diagnosis is challenging in the absence of reliable reference values, both in healthy neonates and in preterm ones. We recently estimated GH reference interval in 1036 healthy, at-term newborns (HN) form dried blood spot samples using a previously validated analytical method.Aim: of this study is to provide valu...

Background: Adrenal insufficiency (AI) is a rare condition caused by an inadequate production of glucocorticoids. Preliminary data in adults suggest that AI could be associated with an increased susceptibility to infections; moreover, AI patients are at risk to develop a severe course of infectious diseases and to experience a life-threatening adrenal crisis. The aim of our study is to evaluate the severity and the outcome of COVID-19 in pediatric AI patients ...

Background: Severe congenital growth hormone deficiency (cGHD) is a rare but potentially life-threatening condition. Even though random growth hormone (GH) can confirm cGHD during the first week of life, the diagnosis remains extremely challenging in the absence of reliable reference values in healthy neonates and thus of a best diagnostic cut-off.Aims: First, to provide solid reference values for GH concentrations in te...

Introduction: Sulfation is required for the metabolism of numerous compounds, including proteoglycans, steroid hormones, neurotransmitters, toxic chemicals, and drugs like acetaminophen. The sulfate transporter SLC13A1 is responsible for the intestinal absorption and the renal reabsorption of inorganic sulfate, but loss-of-function mutations in this gene have never been described in man. Here, we describe a male with a biallelic loss-of-function variant, i.e.,...

Background: At present few data have clearly showed an increased frequency of idiopathic central precocious puberty (CPP) in females during the COVID-19 pandemic. The role of environmental factors is not fully understood and various hypotheses have been formulated.Aims of the study: To evaluate retrospectively the incidence of newly diagnosed CPP and other pubertal disorders (Premature thelarche, early puberty, fast pube...

Central diabetes insipidus (CDI) in children is caused by brain tumors, Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), trauma, infections, or genetic abnormalities in about 60% of the cases. In the remaining 40%, CDI is idiopathic even after detailed clinical and radiological investigations. Aim of the study was to assess whether measurement of serum antibodies against human growth hormone (GH) could aid in the identification of the etiological factors for CDI.<p class="abst...

Background: The primary goal of GH treatment in GHD children and adolescents is to normalize height, in order to attain an adult height within the target height (TH) range.Aim: to investigate height improvement in GHD paediatric patients treated with GH in our Country.Subjects: 737 patients with isolated GHD (39.5% females) from 13 tertiary Centres for Paediatric Endocrine Care...

Background: Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) has been linked to papillary cancer in adults but not in children and adolescents. Moreover, there is no agreement on the more appropriate frequency of thyroid ultrasound (TS) in the follow-up of children with HT.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of the study was to investigate the incidence of thyroid nodules and of thyroid cancer in a large group of children and adolescents (567) with HT followed-up for a m...