ESPE Abstracts

Background: Extra Uterine Growth Restriction (EUGR) represents a serious comorbidity in infants born very low birth weight (VLBW). In fact, failure in postnatal growth and malnutrition at vulnerable ages can interfere with growth recovery and neurodevelopment at older ages.Hypothesis: Aim of the study was to assess whether and how the postnatal early growth patterns of VLBW may affect later growth, spontaneous motility a...

Background: Subtle phenotypic differences have previously been described among children with varied genetic subtypes of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) – 15q11-q13 paternal microdeletion, maternal uniparental disomy (mUPD), and rare imprinting center defects. The MKRN3 gene, located on 15q11.2, is a master regulator of pubertal initiation and is a candidate gene for abnormal pubertal development in PWS.Objective and hy...

Introduction: The mechanisms underlying short stature in Noonan Syndrome (NS) are poorly understood and may include inadequate GH secretion or action, decreased IGF-1 production, growth plate dysfunction, or other factors. In this retrospective study, we aimed to evaluate the function of the GH-IGF-1 axis in NS.Method: We took all patients with genetically proven Noonan syndrome among 1001 children and adolescents curren...

Introduction: Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) is one of the principal regulatory hormones for calcium and phosphate homeostasis. Reduced PTH concentration in hypoparathyroidism is characterised by hypocalcaemia and hyperphosphataemia.Case Presentation: We report a ten-year-old girl who was admitted to the Department of Paediatrics, Endocrinology, Diabetology with Cardiology due to repeated seizures, hypoalcaemia with suspected...

Background: Androgen excess in childhood is a common clinical presentation and might signify serious pathology. We have recently explored patterns and severity of androgen excess in a large female adult cohort to differentiate common polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) from non-PCOS pathology, including congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), ovarian hyperthecosis and adrenal and ovarian tumours (Elhassan et al., JCE&M 2018). Herein, we undertake a similar approach f...

Background: Recently, T3 receptor alpha (TRα) mutations have been identified in a number of patients with varying degrees of growth impairment, delayed development, constipation, increases in serum T3 and decreases in T4 and rT3.Objective: To determine the spectrum of clinical and functional consequences of novel TRα mutations.Method: Clinical assessment and biochemical, imaging...

Background: Patients with genetic variants in the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) pathway may present with early-onset, severe obesity and hyperphagia. Increasing awareness of genetic testing could improve diagnosis of rare genetic causes of obesity and identify patients who might benefit from targeted therapy; however, such testing has been limited. Moreover, the frequency of specific genetic variants in this population is currently unknown. The Rare Obesity A...

Background: Patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) might suffer from hyperandrogenism. For diagnosing and treatment monitoring, usually levels of androstenedione (A4) and testosterone (T) are measured in blood. More recently, adrenal-specific 11-oxygenated androgens such as 11- hydroxyandrostenedione (11OHA4), 11-ketoandrostenedione (11KA4), 11-hydroxytestosterone (11OHT), and 11-ketotestosterone (11KT) were introduced as promising biomarkers, but ...

Background: Counselling adolescents with chronic diseases can be challenging when it comes to appropriate interview techniques and the doctor's attitude towards the patient. Successful communication can be a key element of treatment. Motivational interviewing (MI) is widely applicable in the management of behavioural problems and illnesses, as it increases patients' motivation for lifestyle changes. This plays a particularly important role in the tre...

Background: Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) plays a key role in reproduction. The G-protein coupled FSH receptor (FSHR), is expressed primarily in gonads, and specifically binds FSH. FSHR is also expressed in vascular endothelium, osteoclasts, adipose tissue, monocytes and rodent pancreatic islets. Elevated FSH levels are associated with development of obesity, insulin resistance, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease. In a recent study, we showed that h...