ESPE Abstracts

Background: Hypothamamic hamartomas (HH) are rare benign tumours of the tuber cinereum revealed by central precocious puberty (CPP) and, in some cases, gelastic seizures and cognitive impairment.Objective and hypotheses: Evaluation of the treament by GnRH analogues on control of puberty and final height in patients with HH.Method: We report a series of five cases of CPP secondary to HH (four girls and one boy). Early in infancy (9 ...

Background: Patients with Turner’s syndrome (TS) develop osteoporosis, resulting from chromosomal deficiency and estrogen deficiency by gonadal dysgenesis.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of this study was to assess bone mineral density (BMD) and parameters of bone remodeling during somatropin therapy in prepubertal girls with TS.Population and/or methods: We examined 22 girls with TS of the age of 11–15 years (the mean ...

Background: As well as acting on longitudinal growth, growth hormone (GH) also has a number of metabolic effects, and is involved in the regulation, functioning and development of the immune system.Aims: To evaluate the immune profile in GH-deficient children after 6 months’ GH treatment.Method: A total of 44 children were examined before and after a six-month course of treatment with rhGH (0.03 mg/Kg per day). Levels of IGF1 ...

Background: Vertebral changes such as biconcave end plate depressions are well described in children with sickle cell disease (SCD). However, as vertebral height reductions are a marker of osteoporosis in children, we aimed to determine whether these could present underlying osteoporosis, by performing transiliac bone biopsies in two patients.Case 1: A 13-year-old female with SCD, presented with back pain. She had delaye...

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) often suffer from back pain and present with vertebral changes, but the use of bisphosphonates is poorly reported. We present our experience on treating six children with SCD with Zoledronate in a tertiary paediatric endocrinology and haematology centre.Population: Six children with SCD were treated with zoledronate infusions between the years 2016-2021. All children had a history of significant mi...

Background: Chemerin, a protein mainly synthesized in the adipose tissue and liver, belongs to the adipokines family and is implicated in signaling for adipocyte differentiation and lipolysis. From this point of view, chemerin can exert an important role in the regulation of various pathophysiological functions, including lipogenesis and metabolism.Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship betw...

South Asian (SA), British-born adults have increased cardiovascular (CV) risk factors compared to White Europeans (WE). Early detection of CV risk may allow intervention. The Manchester HAPO (Hyperglycaemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes) cohort showed babies of SA origin were born significantly shorter, lighter and had a lower mean BMI SDS than those of WE origin. We now report ethnic differences in body composition and CV markers in childhood. Measurements on 102 children (5...

Background: In premature adrenarche (PA) children bone age (BA) may be greater than chronological age (CA), however final height is usually within target height (TH).Objective and hypotheses: Aim of the study was to evaluate the evolution of BA in girls with PA.Method: We studied retrospectively the files of 60 girls with PA followed in our unit. Anthropometric data and Tanner pubertal status were determined in each visit and BA wa...

Background: Primary generalized glucocorticoid resistance (PGGR) or Chrousos syndrome is a rare familial or sporadic condition caused by mutations in the hGR gene, which reduce tissue sensitivity to glucocorticoids. A new case of PGGR caused by a novel heterozygous point mutation in the hGR gene, which resulted in threonine (T) to isoleucine (I) substitution at amino acid position 556 in the ligand-binding domain of the receptor, was recently reported in a patient with an adre...

Background: Isolated GH deficiency (IGHD) may be due to several different causes. Mutations in the GHRH receptor (GHRHR) gene are a relatively rare cause of IGHD.Objective and hypotheses: To understand the molecular cause of severe short stature in a large highly consanguineous family with IGHD.Method: Affected patients were evaluated for GH secretion and other anterior pituitary function. Anterior pituitary size was measu...