ESPE Abstracts

Background: Treating central precocious puberty with GnRH agonist (GnRHa) to increase height gain is well-established. Although not recommended, GnRHa have also been used in patients with IGHD at onset of puberty yet there are few data on its efficacy.Objective and hypotheses: Growth prediction models derived from KIGS (Pfizer International Growth Database) may provide an opportunity to estimate additional height gain produced by pubertal blockade.<p...

Background: Since the late 1960’s, pubertal breast staging has been based on Tanner’s classification. Appearance of glandular breast tissue may be difficult to distinguish by palpation from the surrounding subcutaneous fat tissue, especially in obese girls. To our knowledge, validation of the clinical assessment of pubertal stages by MRI quantification of glandular breast tissue has never been performed.Objective and hypotheses: i) To report no...

Background: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to genes encoding the FSHβ subunit and FSH receptor (FSHB/FSHR) affect FSH production (FSHB c.-211G>T) and receptor sensitivity/expression in vitro (FSHR c.2039A>G & FSHR c.-29G>A). FSHR c.2039A>G, but not FSHR c.-29G>A, is associated with increased FSH levels in adult women, while there are conflicting results on F...

Background: Children with ISS have an array of causes that lead to short stature and/or poor growth velocity. Genetic causes of short stature, notably SHOX mutations, can be associated with subtle skeletal disproportion with shorter limbs, manifesting as increased sitting-to-standing height ratios or SDS.Objective and hypothesis: Children with ISS and skeletal disproportions have a diminished growth response to GH treatment compared to chi...

Background: Congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH) provides a model to study the impact of sex steroid deficiency on childhood growth.Aims and objectives: We characterised growth patterns in male CHH patients with special emphasis on growth during the minipuberty of infancy.Methods: Growth charts of 38 men with CHH (28 from Finland and 10 from Denmark) were evaluated. Fifteen (39%) patients had representative length measure...

Background: A greater number of male (M) vs female (F) patients are diagnosed with GH deficiency (GHD). M have larger birth weight (BW), length and head circumference (HC) compared to F; these characteristics could contribute to subtle cephalo-pelvic disproportion and mild head trauma possibly contributing to idiopathic GHD (IGHD) and multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies (MPHD).Objective: To determine birth characteristics including mode of delivery a...

Background: The anogenital distance (AGD) is defined as the distance from the anus to genital tubercle. AGD is an established method for sex determination of pups in rodents, and in animal studies, AGD is strongly affected by androgen exposure during fetal life. In accordance, human studies have reported reduced postnatal AGD following prenatal exposure to anti-androgenic agents, suggesting AGD to be a sensitive postnatal read out of in utero exposure...

Background: In the optimal care of children with DSD, it is considered good practice to work within a multidisciplinary team (MDT) and engage in opportunities for professional development.Method: To explore the current models of MDT practice and the extent of professional development in specialist DSD centres, an international survey of 124 paediatric endocrinologists, identified through DSDnet and the I-DSD Registry, was performed in 2014.<p class="...

Background: The approach to investigating a newborn with a suspected DSD is likely to vary between centres and may be influenced by local availability.Method: To explore the current diagnostic practice and needs, an international survey of 124 paediatric endocrinologists, identified through DSDnet and the I-DSD Registry, was performed in 2014.Results: A total of 77/124 (62%) clinicians, in 74 centres, from 38/42 (91%) countries res...

Background: Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) plays a key role in reproduction. The G-protein coupled FSH receptor (FSHR), is expressed primarily in gonads, and specifically binds FSH. FSHR is also expressed in vascular endothelium, osteoclasts, adipose tissue, monocytes and rodent pancreatic islets. Elevated FSH levels are associated with development of obesity, insulin resistance, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease. In a recent study, we showed that h...