ESPE Abstracts

Background: Autoimmune destruction of the adrenal cortex is the cause of primary adrenal insufficiency in 45% to 55% of cases in children.Case presentation: A 10-year and 10-month-old female was admitted to the Pediatric Endocrinology Clinic for evaluation of suspected adrenal insufficiency. The girl reported longstanding complaints of fatigue, loss of appetite, recurrent gastric symptoms and salt craving. Medical history was significant...

Aim: To highlight the role of in-vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), as a non-invasive tool that can clarify the specific etiology of a sellar tumour in a boy with precocious puberty.Case presentation: A 4-year-old boy was admitted due to repeated episodes of focal seizures with fixed gaze, head turn to the right, and postictal drowsiness. Parents reported episodes of inappropriate laughter ("gelastic seizures") in the pr...

Objectives: Response to rGH during the first year of treatment is considered indicative of its effectiveness for the improvement of final height. The iGRO software assesses the response to rGH in children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency (IGHD) or small for gestational age (SGA) based on age, gender, gestational age, birthweight, rGH dose, maximal GH during stimulation tests, as well as weight and height measurements on follow-up visits. The aim was t...

Objective: Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is rare in adolescents, most commonly caused by genetic defects or cytotoxic therapy. The aim is to present the case of an adolescent girl with normal pubertal progress and irregular menstrual cycle, followed by amenorrhea.Case presentation: A 15 9/12-years-old girl presented because of lack of menses for the previous 21 months. She reported that she had menarche at the ag...

Background: Obesity-related insulin resistance is present in obese children and Matsuda index is a method proposed to evaluate insulin resistance, using data obtained from the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).Objective and hypotheses: To investigate whether the clinical indicators of family history of obesity and/or Type II diabetes, acanthosis nigricans, and increased waist circumference are associated with insulin resistance, as calculated by the Mat...

Background: Pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) is a rare group of disorders characterised by end-organ resistance to parathyroid hormone (PTH), and possibly TSH, with or without features of Albright’s hereditary osteodystrophy.Case presentation: A 14-year-old boy presented with fatigue and spontaneous carpal spasms in association with a febrile viral infection. Past medical history was significant for an episode of asymptomatic hypocalcemia treated with...

Background: Non-compliance is a major issue for treatment failure in childhood obesity.Objective and hypotheses: To identify the barriers of adherence to weight management programs, of obese children and adolescents.Method: A descriptive, ongoing study based on phone recorded questionnaires with the use of information from the medical records. The study group consisted of 85 overweight and obese children and adolescents (M/F=46/39)...

Background: Van Wyk-Grumbach syndrome (VWGS) is a rare diagnosis that should be suspected in children with signs of peripheral precocious puberty and hypothyroidism. It is characterized by multicystic enlarged ovaries, in the presence of long-term severe hypothyroidism. Treatment of VWGS consists of hormonal replacement with levothyroxine. Usually, ovarian cysts and increased ovarian volume subside within an average of 2 months but can persist up to 12 months after treatment.<...

Objectives: The aim of this study was to report on the frequency and describe the clinical characteristics of the ones diagnosed as thyroid cancer among all suspicious nodules diagnosed in the pediatric endocrinology department and to compare the findings with recent published literature.Methods: Retrospective study during the last 5 years. Patients aged <18 years, with suspected thyroid nodule malignancy, according t...

Introduction: Increased frequency of Grave’s disease (GD) has been reported both in adults and youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aim: To compare the frequency of GD prior and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: Retrospective analysis of children diagnosed with GD over the last 13 years in our Department.Results: A total of 22 children (31.8% boys) with a mean age of 10.55...