ESPE Abstracts

Background: Obesity is a persistent disorder that almost universally recurs following treatment, suggesting a disruption on central nervous system control over energy homeostasis. Recent literature suggests that hypothalamic inflammation may have an important role on obesity pathogenesis. This inflammatory reaction, which histologically appears as a reactive gliosis, may be detected using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and has just been shown in rodent models and adults.</p...

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) is defined as a group of disorders including diabetes mellitus, central obesity, dyslipidaemia, and hypertension.Aim: To investigate the role of lifestyle habits in correlation with MetSyn in children.Methods: In our research, 480 students, 6–12 years old, were participated living in Sparta–Greece. During 2011–2012, a specially designed questionnaire was used and anthropometric...

Background: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia, one of the most frequent autosome recessive disorders, is caused by defects in steroidogenic enzymes involved in the cortisol biosynthesis. Approximately 95% of cases are caused by a deficiency of the 21-hydroxylase enzyme. Its deficiency leads to androgen excess, consequently, to virilization and rapid somatic growth with accelerated skeletal maturation. Mutations in CYP21A2 are responsible for different forms of 21-hydroxylase defi...

Background: Elevated blood pressure (BP) may occur from childhood, increasing the risk for hypertension in adulthood.Aim: To investigate the effect of anthropometric characteristics and lifestyle habits in children’s and adolescents’ BP.Methods: 949 children (<12 years old) from Lakonia, 178 teenagers (12–18 years old) from Athens and 372 from Kalamata, Greece, had participated during 2011–2014. A specially ...

Background: Uric acid and Triglycerides/HDL ratio are an important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.Aim: To investigate how Triglycerides/HDL ratio and uric acid are correlated with children’s biochemical and anthropometric characteristics, depending on the predisposition for metabolic syndrome (MetSyn).Methods: 110 students, 6–12 years old, living in Sparta-Greece, participated in our research. Anthropometric and ...

Background: Sleep is a complex and essential biological process that is required on a daily basis for all humans, playing a vital role in the maintenance of the homeostasis in short and long term.Aims and objectives: To investigate the role of sleep hours in correlation with risk factors for metabolic disorders in a children population.Methods: The program was implemented in 949 children (5–12 years old) living in Sparta-Greec...

Background: Childhood obesity is considered to be an epidemic in developed countries that can negatively affect children’s health and psychology.Aims and objectives: To investigate the nutritional and environmental factors that lead to the presence of childhood obesity and its complications.Methods: A total of 949 students, 3–12 years old, living in Sparta–Greece, have participated in our research. Their lifestyle an...

Introduction: Thyroid dyshormonogenesis (TD) is a heterogeneous group of genetic diseases caused by the total or partial defect in the synthesis or secretion of thyroid hormones. It presents clinical heterogeneity, from subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) to goitre. The clearer understanding of the pathways and enzymatic activities involved in the synthesis of thyroid hormones has allowed us to identify an important number of causal genes. Defective organification...

Introduction: The thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) has a key role in the thyroid gland. It is involved in folliculogenesis, differentiation, organogenesis, and thyroid hormone synthesis and production. Its genetic defects can cause poor differentiation (thyroid dysgenesis) and/or thyroid malfunction (thyroid dyshormonogenesis, TD). Therefore, its phenotype spectrum is wide, ranging from severe congenital hypothyroidism (CH) to mild hyperthyrotropinemia. Some hetero...

Background: Disorders of Sex Development (DSD) comprise several phenotypes due to dysfunction in genes involved in human sexual determination and differentiation. The most frequent aetiologies among 46,XY DSD are androgen insensitivity syndrome and 5-alpha-reductase type 2 deficiency due mutations in AR and SRD5A2 genes, respectively.Objective and hypotheses: The purpose of this study was to investigate mutations in AR and ...