ESPE Abstracts

Background: It is well known that boys are heavier than girls at birth. Causes of this difference are thought to originate from the Y chromosome and as a result of androgen action. Although some studies showed that sex dimorphism in size at birth is dependent of fetal androgens, one study reported that it is not generated by action of androgens.Objective and hypotheses: To determine birth weight (BW) of children in different aetiologies of disorder of se...

Introduction: Depending on the underlying diagnosis, Disorders of Sex Development (DSD) can be associated with an increased risk of germ cell cancers. To date, however, knowledge regarding the indications and timing of gonadectomy is lacking.Methods: The International-DSD (I-DSD) Registry was interrogated for anonymised information regarding the diagnosis, karyotype, sex of rearing and timing of gonadectomy, if undertaken, of all individuals of any karyo...

Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) occurs in approximately 1:2000–1:3000 newborns in Italy. Lowering of the TSH cut-off was the most important factor contributing to the increase of CH incidence in Italy. The aim of this study is the determination of the prevalence of CH in northwest Sicily, evaluated by the single screening centre of the Children Hospital ‘G. Di Cristina’, ARNAS, Palermo. From January 2013 to December 2017, 79.699 newborns were screened testing TSH...

Growth Hormone deficiency (GHD) in newborn is an infrequent condition, which can cause threat to life due mainly to hypoglycemia that begins in the first week of life. A GH basal level (whether random or associated with spontaneous hypoglycemia) that distinguishes infants with GHD from those with GH sufficiency in the neonatal period is not conclusive. Few data have been reported about the GH measurements in serum and dried blood spots on filter paper samples in healthy neonat...

Background: Human GH is a heterogeneous protein hormone consisting of several isoforms, the most abundant being 22 kDa- and 20 kDa-GH. The availability of analytical methods to measure these GH isoforms might represent a valuable diagnostic tool to investigate GH secretion in short stature.Objective and hypotheses: Aim of the present study was to measure circulating levels of 22 kDa- and 20 kDa-GH in children with different diagnosis of short stature suc...

Background: The diagnosis of GH deficiency in children is based on clinical, auxological, radiographic and biochemical criteria which include response to Pharmacological Estimulation Tests (PhT). It is well known that GH concentrations vary according to the assay method used. Currently in our population, the proposed cut-off value of serum GH PhT is 4.7 ng/ml measured by ICMA using the IRP 98/574.Objective and hypotheses: The aims of this study were to d...

Background: In North-Eastern Italy, a newborn screening for congenital adrenal hyperlpasia (CAH) has been taking place since 2001 to diagnose the classical form of 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD). Thanks to the screening program based on 17-OHP levels in dried blood spots, early diagnosis of CAH is possible, allowing appropriate precocious treatment and reducing mortality rates. Unfortunately, a high false positive rate, especially in preterm, low-birth-wei...

Background: Endogenous GH secretion physiologically increases during puberty. In particular, a correlation between GH levels and pubertal stages can be stated. Therefore, it is possible that some patients with childhood-onset GH deficiency (GHD) at puberty normalize their GH secretion. Finally, there are not so far assessed potential predictors of persistent GHD in patients during puberty.Objective and hypotheses: Our study aims evaluating the normalisat...

Pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) is an hereditary disorder characterized by resistance to parathyroid hormone (PTH) and in varying degrees to TSH, GHRH and FSH/LH, and caused by loss-of-function mutations in the GNAS gene, encoding the membrane protein Gs-alpha. Pathognomonic of these patients is a dysmorphic phenotype, called Albright's Osteodystrophy, which includes short stature, obesity, round face, mental delay, subcutaneous ossifications and brachydactyly. The most fr...

Background: Recent studies have analyzed the influence of perfluoroalkylated substances – PFAS (in particular PFOS and PFOA) on people and thyroid. Children are primaly affected by these pollutants. On the other side variation of incidence of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) has been shown in recent years by different studies. We sought to determine whether the incidence of CH in north-eastern Italy has changed in relation to some endocrine disruptors and t...