ESPE Abstracts

Background: Monitoring adherence to growth hormone (GH) treatment is important, because poor adherence can lead to suboptimal clinical outcomes. The easypod™ electromechanical injection device in combination with the web-based easypod™ connect platform electronically records and transmits accurate, objective records of the date, time and dose injected of patients receiving GH with growth disorders, allowing physicians to accurately monitor patients&#...

Introduction: Consensus guidelines (2021) state that a second dry blood spot (DBS) should be considered for newborn screening (NBS) in preterms (delayed TSH rise).Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic yield of an NBS strategy including a second DBS at 14 days in preterms.Material and Methods: Retrospective study of 2 cohorts. Cohort 1: live births <37 weeks of gestational age (G...

Background: Short stature has been associated with a reduction in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and more problem behavior in children and adults. In adolescents who were treated with growth hormone (GH) because of persistent short stature after being born SGA, an increase in HRQoL and decrease in behavioral problems was seen during or right after cessation of GH-treatment. However, long-term data, to analyze if these positive effects remain many years...

Background: Central hypothyroidism is rare in children. It is often part of multiple pituitary hormone deficiency but can occur in isolation. Isolated central hypothyroidism may be due to mutations in TSHB, TRHR or IGSF1, involved in TRH signalling. We present an adolescent with a novel truncating variant of IGSF1, resulting in delayed puberty, central hypothyroidism and macroorchidism.Case presentation: A 15-year-old ma...

Background: Digital health solutions, such as the Growzen™ buddy smartphone application (app), can facilitate adherence to recombinant human growth hormone (r-hGH) treatment for patients with growth disorders. The app alerts patients when it’s time for an injection and allows patients and their caregivers to self-monitor growth, to build a routine and improve adherence. The app also contains educational resources to empower patients to be active in...

Context: Transgender adolescents can be treated with puberty suppression (PS) using GnRH agonists (GnRHa), and subsequent hormone therapy (HT). Up to this date, it has not been described at what rate body composition in transgender adolescents changes during the first years of treatment. Also, it is unknown whether Tanner stage at which treatment is initiated, might affect this treatment outcome.Methods: Transgender adol...

Introduction: Acromegaly is a rare disorder, developed by overproduction of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-growth factor 1 (IGF-1), in most cases based on a pituitary adenoma. The increased IGF-1 and GH levels lead to the growth of acres and organs as well as metabolic changes. When manifesting before epiphyseal closure, a giant growth develops.Case Report: A Ukrainian girl presented at the age of 14 years with enlargem...

Gender dysphoria indicates a psychological distress due to any incongruence between biological sex and gender identity, while transgender identity refers to an individual, whose gender identity is the opposite of the biological sex. The number of gender dysphoric youth seeking hormonal care seems to rise worldwide. Therefore, numerous bioethical and medical controversies are raising about possible side effects of hormonal therapies, including interference with brain developmen...

Background: The peptide hormone adrenocorticotropin (ACTH or Corticotropin) is a major component of the stress response system in the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis. Under stress, it is secreted from the anterior pituitary and stimulates cortisol production from the adrenal cortex. Changes in ACTH production or action are associated with multiple disease conditions. In clinical situations like Cushing's disease, ectopic ACTH syndrome and congeni...

Background: Virilization at puberty in girls remains a challenge. Several differential diagnoses must be considered including disorders of sex development (DSD) and tumors.Case Report: We report an 11.5-year-old girl who was referred to our center for progressive cliteromegaly since 6 months. Past medical history was remarkable for prematurity of 36 weeks gestation and for mild ongoing psychomotor delay. At presentation ...