ESPE Abstracts

Background: Triglyceride (TG)/HDL ratio has recently been considered a index of cardio-metabolic risk in healthy and obese subjects. Diet, lifestyle indexes, anthropometric parameters, and metabolic control are the variables with possible influence on belonging to a certain cardio-metabolic risk group.Objective and hypotheses: To identify whether HbA1c per se has an influence on TG/HDL and to study other possible variables influencing the ratio....

Septo-optic dysplasia (SOD) is a rare congenital disorder characterized by a classic triad of optic nerve hypoplasia, agenesis of septum pellucidum and corpus callosum, and hypoplasia of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. Up to date, a shared consensus is not available and the diagnosis relies mainly on clinical and neuroradiological findings. Even though few genes have been described as responsible for this syndrome, the precise causes of SOD remain unknown and a combination of...

Hypothyroid patients post-thyroidectomy require 1.6-1.8 mg/kg/die of Levothyroxine (L-T4). A persistent TSH level above the upper limit despite a daily dose >1.9 mg/kg/die is defined as “refractory” hypothyroidism in adults. Malabsorption and “pseudo-malabsorption” need to be investigated in case of therapeutic failure. L-T4 absorption test (LT4AT) is useful in distinguishing these two conditions but it has only been described in adult age. We ...

Introduction: Diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and idiopathic short stature (ISS) is not straightforward. Nowadays growth hormone (GH) stimulation tests play a key role in the diagnosis but they are controversial due to the lack of normative data, poor reproducibility and poor disease concordance.The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is also a tool in the study of patients with short stature. Structural alterations of the hypo...

Background: Patients who have received an hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have more risk of endocrine complications (hypothyroidism, hypogonadism, and growth retardation) but the incidence of diabetes after HSCT is not as well known. The pathogenesis of the diabetes is not well established, and is believed to be multifactorial: chemotherapy, pancreatic irradiation, inflammatory cascade and cytokines, steroids and predisposing genetic factors.<p class="abstex...

Introduction: Developing an acute onset thyroid nodule is rare in children and usually associates with infectious or neoplastic disease; when linked to hyperthyroidism, the most likely diagnosis is toxic adenoma.Clinical description: 9-year-old boy with no relevant medical history was seen at the emergency department for acute cervical pain and tumor involving the left thyroid lobe with no inflammatory signs or history of trauma. Physical examination rev...

Introduction: Thyroid dyshormonogenesis is a heterogeneous group of hereditary diseases produced by the total/partial blockage of the biochemical processes involved in thyroid-hormone synthesis and secretion. Many genes are involved in this process. PAX8 is a transcription factor essential for thyroid-gland morphogenesis and synthesis of thyroid hormones, since it activates TG, TPO and TSHR gene transcription. More than 50 PAX8</...

Objective: To describe efficacy and security of treatment protocol with gonadotropins in adolescents with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH).Methods: Prospective study of patients with HH who received hGH and rhFSH in puberty. HH diagnosed during first months of life or in adolescence (testicular volume<4cc in >16 year-old with FSH<1.2UI/L, testosterone<40ng/dL and GnRH-test with LH-peak<6UI/L)<p class...

Introduction: Diabetes insipidus (DI) is a rare disease in children. In most cases it is acquired and central in origin (CDI). The most frequent cause of acquired CDI is brain tumor and idiopathic forms represent between 20-50% of cases, depending on the series. Autoimmune hypophysitis is a rare cause of DI and is a presumptive diagnosis with a suggestive brain MRI and ACTH and TSH deficiencies as the most common hormonal involvement, although it can manifest ...

Purpose: Patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) show low fitness levels before GH treatment is started. Muscular strength, flexibility and postural stability are related to health and quality of life. Since it is widely recognized that physical activity increases GH secretion and GH could ameliorate fitness, if a high adherence to treatment is documented (1), the purpose of this study is to investigate any difference on posturographic parameters and mus...