ESPE Abstracts

Background: Heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) is characterized by severely elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and premature cardiovascular disease. European guidelines currently support the initiation of statin therapy by age 8-10 years in patients with HeFH to slow the progression of endothelial disfunction and to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood. However, to date, there is lack of data on adheren...

Objectives: Preterm infants often present CH characterized by delayed TSH elevation. We describe the clinical and biochemical features and the evolution of CH in preterm infants with delayed TSH elevation, detected by the second screening for CH.Material and Methods: All preterm infants born between 2007 and 2014 negative to the first screening (b-TSH<10 mcU/ml) at 2–5 days of life and positive to the second screening at 12–33 days (b-TSH&#...

Background: The influence of intrauterine life on long term health is supported by a wealth of epidemiological and experimental studies. A low oxygen and/or nutrient supply to the fetus, resulting in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), may affect gonadal development of the offspring, with a potential impact on fertility. Data derived from animal models of placental insufficiency are very limited.Objective and hypotheses: To investigate the effects of...

Background: G, male, was born at 39 GW by emergency CS from non-consanguineous parents. Prenatal US showed growth at lower limits of normal from 22 GW, short limbs and polyhydramnios. Amniocentesis karyotype was 46,XY. At birth weight and length were <3rd percentile, head circumference was between 10 and 25th percentile. At physical examination: short limbs, short neck, cryptorchidism, and microphallus. Early the baby presented mild respiratory distress and a severe episod...

Background: A high risk of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) has been documented in multiple pregnancies. Over the years special screening procedures for preterm and twin babies (re-screening at 2–4 weeks of life) have been adopted by many screening laboratories worldwide. However, no extensive studies have been performed to verify how many co-twins with negative test at first screening (3–5 days of life) become positive at re-screening, and the utility of a long-term f...

Background: Thyroid dysgenesis has been considered a sporadic disease, but recent observations suggested a possible genetic basis.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of our report is to evaluate the incidence of hormonal and ultrasound thyroid anomalies in siblings of CH patients with thyroid dysgenesis.Method: In Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy) 328 CH infants were diagnosed by neonatal screening between January 2000 and December 2012....

Background: OTX2 is expressed in the human brain and plays a key role in the eye development. OTX2 mutations are reported in patients with ano/microphtalmia, optic nerve or optic chiasm hypoplasia, ocular coloboma and retinal dystrophies, associated in some cases with brain or pituitary abnormalities.Objective and hypotheses: Most of OTX2 mutations are nonsense or frameshift, more rarely missense mutations occur.Method: We...

Objective and hypotheses: We studied the prevalence of deficiency in the short stature homeobox containing gene (SHOX) in short-statured children and analysed clinical and radiological signs.Method: A total of 162 children aged 1–17 years (53% females, 67% prepubertal, median age 6.6 years, median height SDS −1.7) presenting with short stature between 2008 and 2014, were analysed for SHOX mutations by direct sequencing and multiplex ligation p...

Short stature is a common clinical presentation in children. New genetics approache such as “Next Generation Sequencing” have recently reported many monogenic defects in genes related to the growth plate cartilage and in GH-IGF-1 axis. The purpose of this study was to analyze a cohort of 64 patients (31 females and 33 males) affected by ISS. The patiens have been subjected to genetic investigations by performing an NGS panel of genes involved in growth, the evaluat...

Introduction: Short stature is one of the main reasons leading a patient to the attention of the Pediatric Endocrinologist. It is important to know the possible causes of short stature, even the rarest genetic mutations associated with short stature. Although the diagnosis of short stature is primarily the result of physical examination with anthropometric measurements, biochemical and radiological data, genetical tests currently play an important role.<p ...