ESPE Abstracts

Background: Obesity prevalence is increasing among young children in both developed and developing countries, showing a tendency to persist with age and lead to early morbidity and mortality.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of this study is to present the most recent trend in obesity prevalence and to investigate the changes in BMI among Bulgarian pre-pubertal children for a period of 17 years (from 1990 to 2007).Method: Three cro...

Background: Recently childhood obesity shows trends of lowering age at start. Preschool children are still very physically active. A possible association between total and abdominal obesity and metabolic risk at preschool age could be of value for preventive measures.Objective and hypotheses: To investigate the relationship between body composition and some metabolic risk factors at preschool age.Method: A total of 40 (50% boys) he...

Background: Non-classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia (NCCAH) is a hyperandrogenic disorder affecting negatively the psychological health and the quality of life (QoL) of patients.Aim: To evaluate the psychological health and QoL in female NCCAH patients in comparison to female age-matched healthy controls.Participants and Methods: A total of sixty-eight females, aged 10-27 year...

Introduction: Aggrecan, encoded by the ACAN gene, is an important component in the cartilage extracellular matrix. Mutations in the ACAN gene have been associated with idiopathic and familial short stature in the recent years. Bone age (BA) is often advanced, although it can be delayed or normal. Patients can have dysmorphic features like broad forehead, midfacial hypoplasia, prognathism, posteriorly rotated ears, broad and short thumbs. Bone and joint problem...

Introduction: Rare endocrine diseases are lifelong chronic conditions requiring constant medical follow up of the affected individuals. More common among them are patients with hypopituitarism, Turner syndrome (TS), and Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). The age between adolescence and adulthood, despite being difficult to define by age category alone is an important time for the personal development. This time may be made more difficult if accompanied by a chronic ...

Background: Precocious pubarche (PP), defined as the development of pubic hair before 8 years of age in females could be the first sign of a hyperandrogenic condition.Aim: The purpose of the study was to analyze the etiology of premature androgenization of girls with a history for PP and to evaluate their clinical, laboratory and ovarian ultrasound profile.Material and methods: A t...

Background: Non-classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (NCCAH) is a genetic disorder characterized by hyperandrogenism associated with potential metabolic alterations and changes in body composition and bone mineral parameters.Aim: The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the clinical and biochemical characteristics in association with bone mineral parameters and body composition in female patients diagnosed with ...

Rare endocrine conditions present specific diagnostic and management challenges to healthcare providers, especially regarding transition. Despite the need for practical guidance on this subject, consensus on structured approaches to transition are lacking. The aim was to map the current clinical practice, and identify the unmet needs regarding transition of care for patients with pituitary disease in the reference centers (RCs) of the European Reference Network on Rare Endocri...

Introduction: Children born small for gestational age (SGA) are extensively studied since the 60s of the last century. Short-term and long term sequels of the condition lead to the concept of necessary follow up throughout childhood and early adulthood. Based on the current knowledge, SGA births are between 5% and 7% of all, with about 10% failing to catch-up up to 2 years of age. The timely capture of such individuals within general practices and even within ...

Introduction: Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare imprinting disorder with evidence of increasing incidence. Treatment with recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) has been shown to improve growth, body composition and final height. It is officially approved by the US Food and Drug Administration since 2000, but still not official indication in many countries.Aim: The aim of the current study is to assess the results o...