ESPE Abstracts

Background: Trisomy 21 is associated with an increased susceptibility to respiratory infections.Objective and hypotheses: For a more detailed characterization of the adaptive immune response, we analyzed the cellular and humoral immunity to specific pathogens in blood samples of 40 children with Down’s syndrome in comparison to 51 age-matched controls.Method: We quantitatively analyzed lymphocyte subpopulations using flow cyto...

Background: The etiology of Autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs), including Graves’ disease (GD) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is multifactorial and involves genetic and environmental factors. Family and population studies confirmed the strong genetic influence and inheritability in the development of AITD. Possible sex-related differences in overexpression of the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4) gene, peptidyl arginine deiminase 4(PADI4) gene, the fat mass...

Background: Thyroid nodules (TN) are rare in children but often show more aggressive features than in adults. Irradiated childhood cancer survivors (CCS) are at risk for malignant thyroid nodules.Objective and hypotheses: To retrospectively compare the incidence of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), the clinical onset and the medium-term follow-up in a pediatric population (EC <18 years), with and without risk factors examined for TN, among 1990 an...

Current treatment in type 1 diabetes focuses on the development of physiological insulin replacement. Although this has led to the increased progress in the development of semi closed loop systems and different algorithms allowing this, the majority of youth still has to cope with insulin injections. Improving metabolic outcome with injection therapy has become more demanding, imposing an increased number of injections and improved knowledge of food composition. For those able...

Background: The short synacthen test (SST) is a popular diagnostic investigation for adrenal insufficiency (AI). Cannulation and blood sampling are required making it invasive, time-consuming and resource-intensive. Salivary cortisol is a well-established alternative to serum sampling.Objective and Hypotheses: To develop a non-invasive alternative to the 1 μg SST, using a novel formulation of Synacthen (with a nasal drug enhancer, chitosan) given na...

Background, objective and hypotheses: By using QEPS, a new mathematic growth model, different components of growth can be analyzed, comparing secular trends of prepubertal and pubertal growth in Swedish birth cohorts born 1974 and 1990.Materials and methods: Two birth cohorts followed to adult height (AH) born around 1974 (1691 boys; 1666 girls) and 1990 (1647 boys; 1501 girls) being healthy, Nordic and born term. A subpopulation of 1974 (1177 boys; 1168...

Background: Adolescence is a critical period of life, and even more if a chronic illness is present like type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). The healthy lifestyle practice is one of the pillars of the T1DM treatment.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate the association between lifestyle and health related quality of life (HRQoL) in adolescents with T1DM.Method: Lifestyle and HRQoL were evaluated in 69 T1DM adolescents (34 male, mean a...

Introduction: Abnormal levels of lipids and lipoproteins are recognized as a prominent cardiovascular risk factor associated with increased morbidity and mortality. In many studies childhood obesity has been shown to be associated with increased levels of total cholesterol (TH), triglycerides (TG), LDL-cholesterol, and decreased levels of HDL-cholesterol.Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk of dyslipidemia (abnormal levels of all of ...

Background: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is a group of inborn errors of steroidogenesis. It is mainly caused by steroid 21-hydroxylase coding gene (CYP21A2) mutations. More than 30% of the CYP21A2 mutations are deletions, with ethnic specific differences. The Bulgarian mutational spectrum of CYP21A2 gene is unknown.Objective and hypotheses: To determine CYP21A2 mutation spectrum in Bulgarian CAH patients.<p...

Background: Over the recent years there have been more and more cases with DM type 1 and thyroid autoimmune diseases.Objective: To study course of autoimmune thyroiditis in children and adolescents with DM type 1.Methods: From 758 children with DM type 1 we identified high risk cohort (thyroid gland palpation and clinical symptoms) and performed thyroid US and TSH, fT4, anti-TPO, anti-TG, and HbA1c testing. Cohort group,...