ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: This study describes the experience of introducing Nao, a humanoid robot, into a Summer Camp for children with diabetes (August 2013, Misano Adriatico, Italy), with the aim to provide them a companion capable to support and motivate. Our goal was to investigate if, Nao’s interactions with children could positively affect the adherence to specific medical recommendations during their stay. Namely children were asked to fill in a specific nutritional diary. Th...

Background: Precocious puberty (PP) in girls is most frequently an idiopathic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-dependent PP, being thelarche the typical first sign. It is well established that increased dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) levels are associated with premature adrenarche and may characterize PP too. However, its relationship with signs of hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis activation and estrogen exposure is still to be elucidate...

Background: T3-P-GD, a severe, rare disorder well known in adults, has not previously been described in children. It is characterized by persistently high serum fT3 concentration and normal, or even low, fT4 concentration during drug treatment. This condition is associated with very high titers of TRAb and large goiters, but its pathogenesis remains unclear. The recognition of this form of GD in children is of particular importance, as higher antithyroid ...

Background/Aim: 25 to 40% of children with well-controlled X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) show linear growth failure, despite optimal conventional treatment (oral phosphate supplementation and active forms of vitamin D) with final height -2 SDS. Recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) may be an adjuvant treatment of the growth retardation in these patients. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to describe how rhGH treatment improves final heigh...

Background: Noonan syndrome (NS) is a rare genetic disease characterized by facial dysmorphism, short stature, heart defects, chest deformities, and variable developmental delay/learning disabilities. Almost 80% of patients have a mutation in the genes encoding components of the RAS/MAPK pathway. Puberty was described as delayed in NS patients, but few studies are focusing on this subject and genotype-phenotype correlations so far.<s...

Background/Aim: Several criteria for the first year growth response (FYGR) to growth hormone (GH) treatment have been proposed. We explored which FYGR criteria predict best the final height outcome after GH treatment in prepubertal children with GH deficiency (GHD).Methods: Height data of 129 GHD children (83 boys) treated with GH for at least 4 consecutive years with at least 1 year before pubertal onset, were retrieved...

Introduction: Diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and idiopathic short stature (ISS) is not straightforward. Nowadays growth hormone (GH) stimulation tests play a key role in the diagnosis but they are controversial due to the lack of normative data, poor reproducibility and poor disease concordance.The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is also a tool in the study of patients with short stature. Structural alterations of the hypo...

Background: 16 year old female neonate presented with neonatal diabetes, congenital hypothyroidism and sepsis.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate the neonate for a common cause of neonatal diabetes, congenital hypothyroidism and sepsis and to explore for the best modality of management, including a possible role for sulphonylureas.Method: The neonate born of 3rd degree consanguinity was admitted and started on insulin infusion an...

Background: Hyperinsulinism/hyperammonaemia (HI/HA) syndrome is associated with postprandial hypoglycaemia and mild hyperammonemia. There is increased insulin release following protein ingestion, which is amenable to diaxozide therapy. While developmental delay and normoglycaemic seizures can also occur, hepatomegaly has not been reported. We report a child with HI/HA and hepatomegaly, mild learning difficulty and obesity, who was initially mistaken to have glycogen storage di...

Background: Cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) is a common complication in cystic fibrosis (CF). CFRD symptoms and treatment may impose additional burden and adversely affect their QoL.Objective and hypotheses: Assess HRQoL in CF children with normal glycaemia (CFN) and CFRD and evaluate the change in HRQoL over 1 year period along with clinical changes.Method: A prospective study was undertaken including children aged 10&#150...