ESPE Abstracts

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...

Background: Relatively little is known about endocrine function, bone mineral health, and growth during oral iron chelation therapy (OIC) in β-thalassemia major patients (BMT) on treatment with deferasirox.Aims of the study: To measure the final adult standing height (FA-Ht) and the frequency of endocrine complications in relation to their liver iron content (LIC) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I) concentration. Patients were grouped into two...

Background: Septo-optic dysplasia (SOD) is a highly heterogeneous condition with a variable phenotype, defined as two or more features of the classical triad: i) optic nerve hypoplasia, ii) midline brain defects, and iii) pituitary hormone abnormalities.Objective and hypotheses: To describe the clinical, endocrine, and neuroimaging features in eight children with SOD.Method: Eight (six males) consecutive patients, diagnosed with SO...

Background: Prevalence and severity of obesity and associated comorbidities are increasing in adolescents. Data on neck and upper arm (UA) circumference in addition to established anthropometric measures to define cardiometabolic risk are limited to date.Methods: Data from Phase I of the EU-funded PreSTART-study (trial registration number NCT02545140) was applied. Demographic, clinical, biochemical and lifestyle data were collected in adolescent...

Primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) is a rare, potentially life-threatening, condition due to abnormalities of steroid biosynthesis or of adrenal gland development and responsiveness. PAI is characterized by impaired secretion of glucocorticoids and can be accompanied by mineralocorticoid and adrenal androgens deficiency or excess, depending on the underlying cause. In adults, the most common etiology is represented by autoimmunity. In contrast, the disease in children is more...

Even today, the majority of families are caught completely unprepared by the diagnosis of diabetes in their child. The "bad news" hits them like a bolt from the blue and calls into question the future plans of parents and children. The first talk with the paediatric diabetologist, in which the diagnosis is communicated and the therapy is roughly outlined, sets the course for the acceptance of diabetes in the family and the long-term trusting cooperation with the diab...

Background: Dyslipidemia increases the frequency and severity of micro- and macro-vascular complications of type 1 diabetes.Objective and hypotheses: The present study aims to determine the prevalence of dyslipidemia and its association with clinical and laboratory findings in diabetic children and adolescents.Methods: The study included 202 children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Demographic data and laboratory findings wer...

Background: There is wide geographic variation in the frequency of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) at onset of diabetes from ~15–70% in Europe and North America.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate the frequency of DKA at the onset of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in the paediatric population seen in the Department of Pediatric Diabetology of Turin (Italy) from 1/1/2008 to 31/12/2013.Method: Data (venous pH and HCO3, season at the onset)...

Background: The diagnosis of GHD in children is based on auxological, biochemical, neuro-radiological, and genetic tests. Biochemical tests include evaluation of stimulated GH secretion and baseline IGF-1 determination. Although IGF-1 is the most reliable indicator of GH action, its value should always be interpreted in conjunction with other clinical and biochemical parameters. Since IGF-1 has good specificity (about 90%), but low sensitivity (about 70%), nor...

Background: A total of 456 skeletal dysplasias have been classified by molecular, biochemical and/or radiological criteria, into 40 groups. Despite this, the precise, final diagnosis is often difficult due to the high phenotypic and genotypic variability.Objective: To improve the molecular and clinical diagnosis of skeletal dysplasias using a custom-designed next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel.Method: A total of 56 skeletal dysp...