ESPE Abstracts

Background: Prenatal treatment with dexamethasone (DEX) has been used since the mid 80’s to minimize virilisation of girls with congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Long-term data on treatment safety and health outcome are still limited. It has been shown in animal models that prenatal dexamethasone treatment affects DNA methylation signatures as well as metabolism and behavior. We have previously shown that DEX affects working memory in children who were treated with DEX duri...

Background: Chromosomal imbalances are often due to sub microscopic deletions or duplications not evidenced by conventional cytogenetic methods.Objective and hypotheses: CGH array can help in the diagnosis of severe short stature, associated with mental retardation and dysmorphisms.Method: We describe the clinical case of a 13.1-year-old girl, born at 35 weeks, from a triplets pregnancy. She was 127.5 cm (<−5 SDS), 33 kg ...

Background: SHOX deficiency is a frequent cause of short stature. GH therapy has been approved for growth promotion in individuals with SHOX mutations by FDA and EMEA.Case report: Three patients with Leri-Weill syndrome (LWS) started GH therapy at different chronological ages (CA). Patient 1 started GH+LHRHa at the CA of 13.4 years, height 148.4 cm (−1.5 S.D.), Tanner stage 4, bone age (BA) 13 years. Target height (TH) 160.5 cm (&#87...

Background: Pubertal timing is influenced by a complex interaction among genetic, nutritional, environmental and socioeconomic factors. Over the past 30 years a trend in pubertal timing anticipation has been demonstrated. Environmental factors involved in this phenomenon are mainly represented by endocrine disruptors compounds (EDCs), such as pesticides, industrial compounds and persistent organic pollutants, estrogens and phytoestrogens.Objective and hy...

Background: Activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway is frequent in adrenocortical tumors (ACTs). This pathway and DAX1, a negative regulator of SF1 expression, control adrenal stem/progenitor cells, which can be involved in ACTs formation.Objective: To analyse the association between the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and the expression of a stem cell marker (NANOG), STAT3, DAX1 and SF1 in ACTs.Methods: Patients:...

Background: Hypothalamic-Pituitary–Adrenal (HPA) axis suppression is common during inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) treatment of asthma, and deaths due to adrenal crisis are described. Little is known about the optimal treatment or recovery of ICS induced HPA axis suppression.Aims: To describe the treatment and outcomes of children with ICS induced HPA suppression diagnosed on the low dose short Synacthen test (LDSST).Method: The ...

Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic, by restricting outside activities, encouraged a sedentary lifestyle due to social distancing and, alongside, an increase in the consumption of canned food and industrialized foods, resulting in a negative impact on the growth of children and young people (CYP). Concerns for consequences in CYP with type 1 diabetes (T1D) rose.Objectives: To investigate 1-year effects of the COVID-19 pandem...

Introduction: The true incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children and young people (CYP) is unclear and data are influenced by testing strategies. CYP have so far accounted for 17.5-22% of diagnosed infections. In adults, diabetes was identified as risk factor for severe symptoms and hospitalization with the COVID-19. Eighteen months into the pandemic, studies in CYP with type 1 diabetes (T1D) reported only an increased prevalence of diabetic ketoacidosis (...

Background/Objectives: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic metabolic disease that requires daily and complex management for both patients and their caregivers, impairing the quality of life. Aim of this cross-sectional observational study was to determine whether metabolic control and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of T1D subjects and their parents could be influenced by immigration status.Methods: We enrolled 125...

Background/Objectives: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Even if CVD become mainly manifest in adulthood, the process of atherosclerosis starts in childhood. Ultrasound is a reliable and noninvasive method for detecting early structural and functional atherosclerotic changes in arterial wall and heart. Aim of this study was to determine early ultrasound signs of atherosclerosis and of left ventricular (LV) syst...