ESPE Abstracts

Background: Vitamin D is now recognised as a prohormone, essential for the maintenance of mineral homeostasis, calcium metabolism and normal skeletal architecture. 30 ng/ml or greater can be considered sufficient serum levels. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among severely obese children is almost 49% caused by the fact that it is sequestered in the larger body pool of fat of such individuals, being vitamin D fat soluble. Vitamin D deficiency has been recently associate...

Background: First line treatment for an ACTH-secreting pituitary adenoma is transsphenoidal resection (TSR) of the tumor. Treatment options for patients with recurrent or persistent disease after surgery include another TSR, medical management, bilateral adrenalectomy, radiosurgery, or a combination of these. Radiosurgery represents a potentially curative treatment option for patients with recurrent or persistent disease.Case presentation: A boy was diag...

Background: Children affected by cerebral palsy (CP) could experience central precocious puberty (CPP) 20 times more than general population. Nevertheless, the treatment is challenging.Objective and hypotheses: To compare CPP features and the effects of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist therapy (GnRHa) in children with CP and in controls.Method: The study involved 16 children with CPP and CP (median age (range) at diagnosis of...

Background: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is a common condition that occurs in ~1:3000–4000 live births and is one of the most common preventable cause of mental retardation with an early diagnosis and prompt pharmacological treatment. Neonatal screening has abolished this disease but 10% of children originally diagnosed with CH will have a transient form of the disorder and this percentage is increased during the last years due to a lowering of cut-off.<p class="abs...

Introduction: Transient congenital hypothyroidism (TCH) refers to a temporary deficiency of thyroid hormone identified after birth, with low thyroxine (T4) and elevated thyrotropin (TSH). Approximately 17%-40% of children diagnosed with CH by newborn screening (NBS), have transient hypothyroidism. Levo-thyroxine (L-T4) early treatment is recommended at the dose 10-15 µg/kg/day. Children with thyroid gland in situ should be re-evaluated after the ...

Background: The effects of GH deficiency (GHD) and GH replacement therapy (GHRT) on body composition and functional measures of physical fitness are largely unknown particularly in children.Study aim: To evaluate body composition, muscular strength and flexibility, and exercise tolerance in GHD children at baseline and after one-year GHRT.Patients and methods: We enrolled 19 children and adolescents with untreated ...

We present a monocentric cross-sectional study of 55 children referred between 2000 and 2020 for pituitary lesions, who underwent a complete pituitary function assessment. These data were compared to results obtained in a group of 295 adults carrying pituitary lesions undergoing a complete pituitary screening. Follow-up data was available for 50 children and 248 adults. The mean age at diagnosis in children was 12.2±3.7 years (range 2.1-17.9), while in adults was 48.7&#17...

Background: Pubertal induction in girls with hypogonadism through estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) aims at the development of secondary sexual characteristics, cognitive functions, uterine growth and maturation, bone mass accrual and linear growth. To date, the best induction regimen, capable of assuring both physiological gradual progression through Tanner stages and effective uterine development, is still to be established.Patients a...

Introduction: Central Precocious Puberty (CPP) has recently been described in patients with isolated or syndromic neurodevelopmental disorders, with greater attention from the scientific community. We carried out this study to compare the main aspects of non-isolated and isolated forms of CPP.Methods: We conducted a retrospective monocentric study, collecting all treated cases of CPP from 1st January 2013 to 31 December ...

Introduction: Recently novel approaches, through implementation of next-generation sequencing (NGS) in clinical practice for genetic evaluation of idiopathic short stature, has permitted to identify new variants of genes which modulate function of growth plate, including heterozygous mutations of the aggrecan gene. Aggrecan, a large chondroitin sulfated proteoglycan, is a major structural component of the extracellular matrix of cartilage, including growth pla...