ESPE Abstracts

Objectives: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) is included in the Dutch Newborn Screening (NBS) since 2002. NBS for CAH consists of a 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) measurement in dried blood spots (DBS) with gestational age-adjusted cutoffs. Previously, a second heel prick was performed in newborns with inconclusive results to reduce false-positives. In October 2021, 21-deoxycortisol (21-DOCL) was introduced as a s...

Background: We describe the case of a male newborn, presenting in our outpatient endocrinological clinic after suffering from a bilateral adrenal haemorrhage in the context of a moderate perinatal asphyxia.Case Presentation: The term male newborn was born spontaneously from breech position after a prolonged labour in a secondary care centre in Freiburg, Germany. Perinatal BGA showed severe metabolic acidosis (pH 6.99, BE...

Background: Hypothalamic-pituitary (HP) deficiencies are frequent in childhood brain tumor survivors (CBTS) after cranial radiation. There is currently no consensus on the most optimal way to screen for HP dysfunction regarding diagnostic tests or time interval. It is not known whether MRI changes in time in the HP-region or in brain volume are predictive of HP dysfunction.Aim: To quantify changes in the HP-region and in brain volume on MRI in CBTS after...

Background: A national database has been developed to register longitudinal data from all CAH children detected through neonatal screening from 2002 onwards. So far, data from 105 children have been registered (65% of Dutch CAH patients) to evaluate treatment and long-term effects in CAH.Aims: To evaluate height and weight in relation to medication used in the first 2 years of life.Methods: Biometric data and medication dosage were...

Background: The NPR2 gene plays a critical role in the human growth plate. Pathogenic NPR2 variants can result in varying degrees of short stature. The majority of subjects have no specific clinical findings and are likely classified as idiopathic short stature.Objective: To describe the phenotypic spectrum, analyze genotype-phenotype correlations and assess the response and safety of growth hormone (GH...

Background: Long-term outcome studies on bilateral testicular regression (BTR) are currently lacking, hampering counseling of patients and parents. Although a vascular origin was initially reported, recent studies revealed a genetic origin in a subset of patients (i.e. DHX37 gene variants). How this relates to patient outcomes remains unclear.Methods: Thirty-five patients with BTR were recruited in eight Belgian centers ...

Background: The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis displays a diurnal rhythm, peaking in the morning and with a nadir at night. However, not much is known about the development of the HPA- axis, although strikingly some evidence suggests that a rhythm with a peak in the afternoon is already present antenatally. We aimed to describe HPA-axis activity at age 1 month as well as study possible influencing factors.Methods</stro...

Aims: The golden standard to characterize pubertal maturation is the analysis of steroid hormones in the blood. The aim of the investigation was to assess whether the analysis of salivary steroids is similarly able to characterize male pubertal development.Methods: The investigation included 165 normal boys (mean age 12.7±2.8 years, mean body mass index 19.6±4.2 kg/m2). Pubic hair stages were stratified by Tanner and testicular volum...

Background: Boys affected with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) have lower bone mineral density compared with unaffected boys.Objective and hypotheses: We sought to determine the effects on bone mineral density (BMD) of 1 year treatment with Risedronate and calcium/vitamin D supplementation vs calcium/vitamin D supplementation alone.Method: BMD was measured at spine and whole body. We obtained early morning fasting blood samples f...

Background: The androgen receptor (AR) is essential for the development of primary and secondary male characteristics and is activated by its ligand dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Reduced AR activity can cause undervirilization and infertility. We recently developed an assay to test AR function as a ligand-dependent transcriptional activator in human genital skin fibroblasts (GF). So far it is unclear, if AR expression levels correlate with AR function in the male external genital...