ESPE Abstracts

Background: Obesity is usually correlated with a higher prevalence of 25OH vitamin D (25OHD) deficiency. This might be due to either volumetric dilution of vitamin D in the large fat mass or its increased uptake by adipose tissue. To our knowledge, a systematic study on 25OHD levels in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a genetic disorder associated with severe obesity, is not available.Objective and hypotheses: To analyze the 25OHD values in a population of p...

Background: Organic lesions in males with central precocious puberty (CPP) have been reported in 40% of cases. This high prevalence decreases (20–29%) when patients with previously diagnosed alterations of central nervous system (CNS) are excluded. Reported predictors of organic lesions are age at puberty onset, bone age, BMI, LH peak response and testosterone levels.Objective and hypotheses: To determine the prevalence and type of intracranial lesi...

Background: GAIA is a health service of Meyer Children Hospital composed of a multidisciplinary team specialized in the management of children victims of child abuse. Sexual abuse occurs when a child is engaged in sexual activities that cannot comprehend, for which the child is developmentally unprepared and cannot give consent, and/or that violate the law or social taboos of society. The sexual activities may include all forms of oral-genital, genital, or anal contact by or t...

Background: Gonadal dysgenesis may be rarely associated with precocious puberty (PP) and development of gonadoblastoma. In these patients cases of peripheral PP have been reported. On the contrary, a central PP has been very rarely described.Objective and hypotheses: To describe a female with central PP associated with a bilateral gonadoblastoma.Results: A 8 year and 5 month old phenotypically female child, presenting suspected PP ...

Background: Empty sella refers to the radiographic appearance of an enlarged or deformed sella turcica and it is considered a rare occurrence in childhood. Many reports have suggested that it is associated with hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction, with a high prevalence of growth hormone deficiency, as well as multiple pituitary hormone deficiency, idiopathic delayed puberty and isolated diabetes insipidus.Objective and hypotheses: We describe the case of...

Background: Transverse Myelitis (TM) is an auto-immune syndrome with neural injury to the spinal cord. The TM may be first clinical manifestation of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). It is known that Turner’s Syndrome (TS) is associated to the presence of autoimmune diseases.Case Report: A 15-year old female, began with manifestations of loss of strength on the lower limbs evolving rapidly with sensorial loss, tetraparesis and hemodynamic instability, requir...

Background: Klinefelter syndrome is the most common sex chromosome disorder (prevalence: 1/600 newborn males), characterized by at least one extra X chromosome. If the diagnosis is not made prenatally, the disorder can remain unknown until pubertal or adult age. Kabuki syndrome, instead, is a rare, dysmorphic syndrome (1:32 000 newborn) characterized by distinctive facial features, multiple anomalies, and mental retardation. About 50–80% of cases are due to de novo</e...

Background: Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is a relatively common multisystem disorder with a prevalence estimated in several studies to be in a range of one in 10 000–30 000 individuals.Objective and hypotheses: For the first time to our knowledge, we describe the case of a couple of twin, naturally conceived, monochorionic diamniotic, both affected by PWS.Method: The gravida 3 para 1 mother was 43, and the father 40, at th...

Background: Numerous studies have shown that GH, in addition to promoting linear growth, exerts a key role in many metabolic processes. However, there are only few studies aiming at evaluating the metabolic panel of children with GH deficiency (GHD). The aims of the study were: to verify the presence of metabolic alterations in GHD children in comparison with age-matched controls and to check the possible effects of 2 year GH therapy on the metabolic parameters in GHD.<p c...

Background: ROHHADNET syndrome affects children with normal development until 2–4 years. A paraneoplastic/autoimmune etiology has been suggested because of the association with neural crest tumours.Objective and hypotheses: Aim of this study was to describe the phenotype of ROHHADNET patients, and to evaluate a possible role of autoimmunity in this disorder. In spite of a suspicion for genetic etiology, disease-associated genetic variations have not...