ESPE Abstracts

Background: Organic lesions in males with central precocious puberty (CPP) have been reported in 40% of cases. This high prevalence decreases (20–29%) when patients with previously diagnosed alterations of central nervous system (CNS) are excluded. Reported predictors of organic lesions are age at puberty onset, bone age, BMI, LH peak response and testosterone levels.Objective and hypotheses: To determine the prevalence and type of intracranial lesi...

Background: Klinefelter syndrome is the most common sex chromosome disorder (prevalence: 1/600 newborn males), characterized by at least one extra X chromosome. If the diagnosis is not made prenatally, the disorder can remain unknown until pubertal or adult age. Kabuki syndrome, instead, is a rare, dysmorphic syndrome (1:32 000 newborn) characterized by distinctive facial features, multiple anomalies, and mental retardation. About 50–80% of cases are due to de novo</e...

Background: Pseudohypoaldosteronism (PHA) is a rare heterogeneous syndrome of mineralocorticoid resistance. PHA type 1 (PHA1) is characterized by neonatal salt loss, failure to thrive, dehydration and circulatory shock. It includes two forms: renal (autosomal dominant), due to mutations in mineralocorticoid receptor coding gene NR3C2, and systemic (autosomal recessive), due to mutations in subunit genes of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC). ENaC is constituted of three subu...

Background: Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) deficiency is an autosomal recessive disease with deficient extrahepatic removal of blood lipoproteins.Objective and hypotheses: Primary LPL deficiency can be exacerbated by coexistent conditions such as diabetes, where relative or absolute insulin deficiency leads to an additional secondary LPL deficiency.Method: We describe two cases in which primary LPL deficiency overlapped with previously d...

Introduction: Craniopharyngiomas (CP) are rare pediatric intracranial tumors (1.2-4%) with a peak of incidence between 5-14 years . We retrospectively reviewed data of 16 cases (M/F 4/12) diagnosed before 4 years of age (median follow up 7.2 years) from a cohort of 117 patients (pts) (M/F 56/41) diagnosed after 01/01/2000, followed-up in 14 Italian centres of pediatric endocrinology belonging to the Italian Society for Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetolo...

Background: Children born small for gestational age (SGA) are at risk for metabolic syndrome (MetS) as adults and show a higher prevalence of MetS components.Objective and hypotheses: To define the association between low birth weight and the presence of MetS in a cohort of obese Italian children and adolescents.Method: The presence of MetS was studied in a cohort of obese (BMI >90th centile) children and adolescents consisting...

Background: Currently, the diagnosis of GH deficiency (GHD) in infants and young children is based on the assessment of GH serum levels either during hypoglycaemia or after pharmacological stimulation tests. However, GH cut-off values have not been standardized and provocative tests may be unsafe in this age range.Objective and hypotheses: Brain MRI may replace GH measurements in diagnosing GHD in infancy and young childhood.Method...

Background: patients with childhood-onset craniopharyngioma (CO-CP) present long-term outcomes, including growth hormone (GH) deficiency and obesity. Currently, data on the effects of GH therapy (GHT) on the body mass index (BMI) in CP are inconclusive. Aims of the study were to evaluate BMI over time and its determinants in a large cohort of CO-CP patients treated with GH therapy (GHT).Methods: a multicenter retrospecti...

In Italy, treatment of children with CP is not centralized. We collected data of 117 patients (pts) (M/F 56/41) with CP diagnosed after 01/01/2000, followed-up in 14 centres of paediatric endocrinology belonging to the I.S.P.E.D. Five centres provided data on more than 10 pts (range 12-19), while the remaining on 1-9. 46 pts were diagnosed between 2000-2010 and 71 afterwards. Follow-up was 7.5±4.1 yrs.Results. Histology was adamanti...

Background: CS is characterized by excess glucocorticoid excess, either endogenous or exogenous. In children younger than 7 years, the adrenal origin is the most common cause. From this age until adulthood predominates Cushing’s disease (central cause). We can divide CS in ACTH-dependent and independent according to laboratory findings. When ACTH-independent, etiologies are related to benign or malignant diseases of the adrenal or McCune Albright syndrome.<p class="ab...