ESPE Abstracts

Background: Heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) is characterized by severely elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and premature cardiovascular disease. European guidelines currently support the initiation of statin therapy by age 8-10 years in patients with HeFH to slow the progression of endothelial disfunction and to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood. However, to date, there is lack of data on adheren...

Background: Despite the multiple endocrine, cardiovascular, and gastroenterologic problems of patients with Williams-Beuren Syndrome (WBS), Studies considering metabolism and bone quality in WBS are almost entirely absent from the literature.Objective and hypotheses: We evaluate bone mineral status and metabolism in a cohort of patients with WBS.Method: Thirty-one children (15 females, 16 male...

Background: Cantù syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by congenital hypertrichosis, neonatal macrosomia, a distinct osteochondrodysplasia, and cardiomegaly. Other findings described are vascular abnormalities, pulmonary hypertension, generalized edema, mild learning disability and behavioral problems. Cantù syndrome is related to an heterozygous pathogenic variant in ABCC9 or KCNJ8, which can be inherited in an autosominal dominant manner or d...

Background: Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) patients have an elevated incidence of growth hormone deficiency and thyroid diseases. Nevertheless, no auxological data are available in these subjects.Objective and hypotheses: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the auxological features in a cohort of patients with VKC.Method: This study included 179 Caucasian VKC patients (119 males, 60 females; mean age 9.63±2.98 years) ...

Background: The periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and cervical adenitis (PFAPA) syndrome, is an autoinflammatory disease characterised by regularly recurrent fever episodes, due to seemingly unprovoked inflammation.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of the study was to assess serum 25-hydroxy cholecalciferol (25(OH)D) concentrations in children with PFAPA and to evaluate longitudinally the effect of wintertime supplementation on 25(OH)D st...

Background: Few studies have assessed 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D] status among Italian children.Objective and hypotheses: To assess 25(OH)D in children and adolescents living in Tuscany, Italy, identifing risk factors for vitamin D deficiency in different age groups.Method: We evaluated 446 children children and adolescents (2.4–17.8 years), from Mugello (latitude 44° N), and we determined 25(OH)D, calcium, alkaline ph...

Background: Hypovitaminosis D is common in the general population. Although many studies on 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) are available on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), little data is present in juvenile onset SLE (JSLE) patients.Objective and hypotheses: This study aimed to assess serum 25(OH)D levels in JSLE patients and to identify risk factors for vitamin D deficiency in this population.Method: Forty-five consecutive Cauc...

Background: Unlike precocious puberty, early and/or fast puberty have been less studied, despite the fact that this disorder may be associated to an organic lesion at CNS level.Objective and hypotheses: We illustrate a case of early and fast puberty in a girl with an occult intra-cranial tumor.Method: The girl was the first child of non-consanguineous, Italian parents. The family had a positive history of early puberty. Target heig...

Background: Autoimmune’s thyroiditis (AT) is the most common cause of thyroid diseases in children and adolescents with a peak in early to mid-puberty (prevalence of 0.3–1.2%). Previous studies showed a high rates of familiarity for autoimmune disease (AD) and co-existing autoimmunity in AT subjects.Objective and hypotheses: Aim of our study is to investigate familiarity for AD and co-existing autoimmunity in a large cohort of pediatric AT pati...

Background: Among their metabolic effects, GH and its mediator IGF1 have been reported to influence hematopoiesis. Indeed, GH/IGF1 axis promotes erythropoiesis and GH deficiency (GHD) has been associated with a normochromic and normocytic anemia both in adults and in children. In contrast, in vivo data on the effects of GH/IGF1 axis on leukocytes and platelets are scanty.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate the effects of 4-years GH replacement...