ESPE Abstracts

Background: Hypopituitarism is characterized by deficiency of one or more anterior pituitary hormones. POU1F1 mutations are the second most frequent known cause of combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD). Patients are typically deficient in GH, TSH, and prolactin, although two unrelated cases were reported with isolated GH deficiency (IGHD). To date, all POU1F1 mutations have been reported for the predominantly expressed alpha isoform, which is a transcr...

Background: Mutations in SHOX or its regulatory regions have been detected in ~70% of Léri-Weill dyschondrosteosis (LWD) and ~2.5% of idiopathic short stature (ISS) cases, suggesting the implication of other genes or loci. Recent studies have identified NPR2 defects in ISS patients.Objective and hypotheses: To investigate if NPR2 mutations can account for a proportion of the cases referred for LWD and ISS in whom no SHOX/PAR1 mutation was detected.<...

Background: The aetiology of congenital hypopituitarism (CH) is unknown in the majority of patients. In our cohort of 200 cases, it was possible to establish the genetic cause in only 13 patients (6.5%). Copy number variants (CNVs) have been implicated as the cause of genetic syndromes with previously unknown aetiology.Objective: To study the presence of CNVs and its relevance in patients with CH of unknown cause associated with complex phenotypes.<p...

Background: Disproportional short stature (DSS) is the most frequent clinical presentation of skeletal dysplasias, which are a heterogeneous group of more than 450 disorders of bone. Skeletal survey is important to establish the diagnosis and to guide the genetic test, but has several limitations, especially in mild and atypical cases.Objective and hypotheses: To identify the genetic aetiology of DSS by exome sequencing.Method: Who...

Introduction: The majority of children with short stature are classified as ISS by the absence of findings that could elucidate the cause of their growth impairment. Several monogenic defects have already been identified in children with ISS, but the candidate gene approach is not feasible when there are no specific findings to guide a specific genetic test.Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic yield of a targeted gene p...

Context: Differences in sex development (DSD) represent a broad spectrum of conditions that can present at different ages to various healthcare professionals with different backgrounds.Design: This is a retrospective, observational cohort that includes all DSD subjects referred to a multi-professional DSD team over a period of 41 years (from 1980 to 2021).Participants: A total of 6...

Background: Genetic causes of central precocious puberty (CPP) has been increasingly recognized, extending our knowledge of the triggering factors of human pubertal timing. Distinct etiologies remain to be elucidated in sporadic and familial cases. Methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MECP2) is a chromatin-associated protein that can activate or repress gene transcription, playing a role in neuronal maturation. It is encoded by MECP2 gene located at chromoso...

Background: Heterozygous mutations in the Aggrecan gene (ACAN) cause autosomal dominant short stature with bone age (BA) acceleration, and premature growth cessation.Objective and methods: To characterize the phenotypic spectrum, associated conditions and describe response to growth-promoting therapies, detailed clinical evaluation of 73 mutation positive individuals from 16 families different families with heterozygous ACAN mutations was perfor...

Introduction: Although the safety and effectiveness of recombinant human growth hormone therapy (rhGH) has been reported for several years, the level of consensus on the outcomes that should be reported is unclear. The aim of this systematic review is to study the frequency of reporting of these outcomes in children with GH deficiency (GHD).Methods: A systematic review was performed in Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central R...

Background: Erythrocytosis is characterized by increased number of red blood cells. Primary form is also known as polycythemia vera, while secondary forms can be due to several causes, among which hyperandrogenism. Although the association of severe hyperandrogenism and polyglobulia is known, literature data concerning this comorbidity are overall scanty, and completely lacking in pediatric age.Case report: We report the history of a 14 years-old girl ad...