ESPE Abstracts

Background: Vitamin D deficiency has been found to occur in peoples of all ages worldwide, including those living in sunny climates. Sun exposure is the main source of this vitamin for many people but its utilization is influenced by many factors such as lifestyles and availability of sunlight. The breastfeeding infant is particularly at increased risk of deficiency because of its dependence on maternal stores.Objective and hypotheses: The hypothesis for...

Introduction: The prevalence of diabetes in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) exceeds 12%. Monitoring of HbA1c is standard of care to assess diabetes control but assay reliability requires high precision and standardization to either DCCT or IFCC values and results should be monitored through proficiency testing (PT). In T&T a developing country there is no existing data on HbA1c precision and accuracy. Johns Hopkins Medicine International and the Diabetes Diagnostic Laborator...

Background: There is significant disparity in pediatric endocrinology and diabetes care between developed countries and developing countries. Over the years nevertheless, the diagnosis and management of pediatric endocrine conditions has improved. However, there is paucity of data on clinical presentation and incidence trend amongst pediatric endocrine conditions in sub-Saharan Africa.Methods: A hospital-based retrospect...

Background: Diseases of sex development (DSD) are rare heterogeneous disorders ranging from infertility (an estimated 15% of couples worldwide have difficulty conceiving), to severe cases including ambiguous genitalia, sex reversal, and gonadal dysgenesis. The genetic basis of DSD remains unknown in 50% of the severe cases. To identify novel genetic causes of DSD, we are investigating patients in which known causative genes have been excluded. Identifying new ...

Great controversy exists in regard to the timing and technical alternatives to perform feminizing genitoplasty in children. Opponents to an early approach argue that the reconstruction can be risky in terms of clitoral/vaginal function therefore surgery should be postponed until the patient herself can sign an informed consent and be aware of potential risks as well as confirms the desire to undergo the procedures. Such negative feelings in regard to early reconstruction are b...

The development of the artificial pancreas or closed loop for type 1 diabetes, which started as a concept in the last century, took off once continuous glucose monitors became available. The first hybrid closed loop entered the market in 2016, where now several systems compete. This creates the ‘luxury problem’ of having to choose between different systems. Anonymized CGM data collection from company databases try to address the question whether performance in opti...

Background: Treatment with GH of children born SGA allows an increase in growth velocity (GV) and improves adult height. Increased insulin resistance has been described in these patients, which reverts after interrupting GH administration. However, long-term metabolic consequences are not clearly established.Objective and hypotheses: Describe insulin resistance (HOMA-IR index) and auxological development (GV and height) in SGA children treated with GH fo...

Duplicated pituitary gland in association with other midline craniofacial anomalies – also described as DPG-plus syndrome – is extremely rare. So far the only described endocrine associations are precocious or delayed puberty. We describe the multifaceted management of a female infant with DPG-plus syndrome. Interestingly, the patient also presented with trans-cranial nasal dermoid cyst and a nasal dimple with protruding hair, which has not been described in previous...

Background: Birth weight (BW) is often used as a proxy for gestational age (GA) by studies on preterm birth. Recent data indicate that the terms very-low-birth-weight (VLBW; BW <1500 g) and very preterm (VP; GA <32 weeks) birth are not equivalent with regard to perinatal outcomes and postnatal growth up until final height. It is unknown whether the differences between these terms could be extended to long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes.Objectiv...

Background: Preterm newborns are at risk of becoming transiently hypothyroxinaemic, which has been associated with neurodevelopmental impairments in childhood. It is not known whether these associations persist into adulthood.Objective and hypotheses: We studied the relation between transient hypothyroxinaemia of prematurity and IQ, neuromotor functioning and problem behaviour at young adult age.Method: This was a prospective study...