ESPE Abstracts

Background: The imbalance between oxidant-antioxidant status plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of many autoimmune diseases, including autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD). Studies have described that children with AITD have reduced superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and significantly low zinc levels. This study assessed the effect of daily zinc supplementation for 12 weeks on thyroid auto-antibodies - thyroid peroxidase antibody (...

Beckwith Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) is a rare overgrowth disorder characterised by macroglossia, exomphalos, lateralised overgrowth, organomegaly, hyperinsulinism, and an increased risk of embryonic tumor during early life. In about 80% of BWS cases, molecular defects are identified at the imprinted 11p15.5 region which contains the IGF2 and the CDKN1C genes (most patients show methylation defects at either imprinting control region IC1 or IC2, or paternal unip...

Background: Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is genetically mediated in up to 30% of cases. Many genes associated with POI have roles in early ovary developmental processes, including meiosis.Objectives: We investigated the genetic mechanism underlying early-onset POI in three young women presenting with absent puberty: two sisters from a consanguineous pedigree and a third unrelated proband.<st...

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...

The impact of DSD on future fertility is dependent on several factors. The key determinant of fertility potential is the status of gonadal development and function, and whether the individual has ovarian tissue with viable oocytes, or testicular tissue capable of producing functional sperm. Fertility risk will be primarily determined by the underlying diagnosis, modified by several additional factors. Whilst fertility preservation options are well established for many patient ...

Background: Most published studies on 46,XY DSD focused on genetic findings without association with biochemical work-up.Objectives: To retrospectively analyze the clinical and genetic findings of a large cohort of 46,XY DSD patients.Methods: 285 non-syndromic 46,XY DSD individuals (192 sporadic and 89 familial cases) were studied. LH, FSH, testosterone (T), androstenedione (A) wer...

Background: 46,XY gonadal dysgenesis (GD) is a spectrum disorder which lead to variable degrees of atypical external genitalia, ranging from female to micropenis and absent of gonadal tissue (known as Embryonic Testicular Regression Syndrome -ETRS). Most patients with 46,XY GD remains without a molecular diagnosis.Objective: To report the DEAH-box helicase 37 gene (DHX37) as a novel candidate for the GD etiology.Patients a...

We present the case of a now 11 years old girl with the ultra-rare severe insulin resistance Rabson-Mendenhall syndrome due to the previously undescribed compound heterozygous mutations exon 16: c.2986A>G (Paternal) and intron 9: c.2029+1G>T (maternal) of the insulin receptor gene. The phenotypic findings were composed of dystrophy (birth weight 1970g, small for gestational age), hyperglycemia (up to 400mg/dl), severe acanthosis nigricans and mild cardiac septal hyperpla...

Background: Genetic variants are identified in a small proportion (~10%) of patients with Congenital Hypopituitarism (CH), with variable associated phenotypes. We aimed to phenotypically characterise a large cohort of patients with genetically proven CH.Patients and methods: 1684 CH patients were screened (Sanger or whole exome sequencing) over a 20-year period (1998-2018) for mutations in genes regulating pitui...

Introduction: Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a complex genetic condition associated with feeding difficulties, hypotonia, developmental delay in infancy; hyperphagia leading to extreme obesity, growth failure and behavioral problems in childhood. Coeliac disease (CD), is an autoimmune disease characterized by gluten intolerance and a variety of symptoms most commonly diarrhea or constipation and failure to thrive. In PWS the challenge is to optimize growth while avoiding obesi...