ESPE Abstracts

Background: The prevalence of childhood obesity has been rapidly increasing worldwide and the last report of World Health Organisation define it as epidemic and one of the most serious global public health challenges for the 21st century. Obese children and adolescents are at an increased risk of developing various health problems including type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease. Obesity is a risk factor for vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin...

Background: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) may cause early maturation of hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis when the initiation of corticosteroid treatment is late or/and there is poor compliance. The latter sometimes leads to a lack of treatment. In most cases, if the child survives, he or she develops central precocious puberty.Case report: We present a 12-year-old boy born of a normal pregnancy and delivery. In the first months of lif...

Background: APS type 1 is characterized by an autosomal recessive inheritance. The clinical diagnosis is based on the presence of at least two of the three following diagnostic criteria: chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis, chronic hypoparathyroidism, and autoimmune adrenal insufficiency. Patients often develop other autoimmune diseases. APS type 1 is caused by mutations in the AIRE gene which encodes the AIRE protein. The protein probably acts as a transcription factor.<p c...

Background: Corticosteroids are medicines that are used to treat many chronic diseases. They are very effective anti-inflammatory drugs by suppressing the immune system, and are also used as a replacement therapy in conditions with low levels of endogenous cortisol. Glucocorticoid effects on bone metabolism include: reduced absorption of calcium in the intestine; increased calcium urinary excretion; increased bone resorption and reduced bone density. Corticosteroid treatment i...

Background: The short stature homeobox-containing (SHOX) gene, located in the telomeric pseudoautosomal region 1 (PAR1) on the short arm of both sex chromosomes, is important for linear growth.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of our study was to evaluate the presence of SHOX gene deletions/point mutations in children with short stature in order to understand the role of SHOX gene in idiopathic short stature (ISS) and estimate its frequency.<p class=...

Background: Patients with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) are at risk of several co-morbidities, such as impaired cognitive functions, short stature and adverse effects on metabolism. The causes of these effects are suboptimal glucocorticoid replacement therapy, adrenal crises and prenatal glucocorticoid exposure. However, there are no data available to this day how these factors are affecting epigenomic programs.Objective and hypot...

Background: Basal levels of androgens, in particular 17-OHprogesterone (17OHP), are widely debated as predictors of non-classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia (NCCAH) among patients with precocious pubarche (PP). So many authors suggested the execution of ACTH stimulation test in all children with PP. The aim of our study was to identify clinical and biochemical predictors of NCCAH in children with PP.Methods: We conducted a prospective study of 92 pat...

Background: There is little information on growth and fractures in boys with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).Objective & hypotheses: To determine the extent of growth & skeletal morbidity in a contemporary cohort of DMD in the UK.Method: Clinical details of 832 boys with DMD in the North Star database (2006–2015) from 23 centres were analysed following categorisation into five age groups: A:<5 years (n, ...

Background: Central precocious puberty (CPP) is often familial but its genetic cause is largely unknown. Very recently, the makorin RING finger protein 3 (MKRN3) gene has been found mutated for the first time in 5 families with familial precocious puberty. The inheritance pattern is particular being the MKRN3 a maternal imprinted gene. Moreover in a recent genome wide association study common intronic or intragenic variants harbouring this gene and other two imprinted genes, D...

Background: Individuals with classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) are treated postnatally with glucocorticoids. Earlier research with animals and other disorders with excess GC exposure implicate that GCs can influence memory. Deficits in working memory can be seen already during childhood in children with classic CAH.Objective: We tested the hypothesis that adult individuals with classic CAH show impaired cognitive functions.<p class="abstex...