ESPE Abstracts

Background: Congenital hypopituitarism (CH) is characterized by a deficiency of one or more pituitary hormones. Mutations in the genes coding for transcription factors, such HESX1, involved in the development of the pituitary, determine a highly variable phenotype which may include severe midline defects, septo-optic dysplasia and other congenital abnormalities. A small number of HESX1 variants have been identified in humans. The phenotype sh...

Background: Precocious puberty (PP) in girls is most frequently an idiopathic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-dependent PP, being thelarche the typical first sign. It is well established that increased dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) levels are associated with premature adrenarche and may characterize PP too. However, its relationship with signs of hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis activation and estrogen exposure is still to be elucidate...

Background: Pre-eclampsia is associated with important complications for both mother and baby in the short term, but there are limited data about its long-term effects on offspring metabolism. Thus, we aimed to assess whether maternal pre-eclampsia was associated with adverse effects on metabolism and body composition in the offspring in childhood.Methods: We studied healthy pre-pubertal children (aged 4–10 years) b...

Objectives: To investigate changes in levels of autoantibodies(Abs) against 21-hydroxylase(21OH) in APECED patients and in patients with isolated primary autoimmune adrenal insufficiency (AI) over time after manifestation of AI.Methods: 24 patients with APECED with AI and 5 patients with isolated autoimmune AI were recruited. APECED was confirmed by finding at least two major components of the disease and/or two mutation...

Background: Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a complex, multisystem disorder that arises from lack of expression of paternally imprinted genes on chromosome 15q11-q13. Its major clinical features include neonatal hypotonia, short stature, developmental delay, hyperphagia, childhood onset obesity, hypothalamic endocrinopathy and characteristic appearance. It is known that due to severe obesity PWS patients are prone to develop type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), whi...

McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS) is a rare disorder caused by somatic mutations in GNAS gene leading to fibrous dysplasia (FD), cafe-au-lait spots and hyperfunctioning endocrinopathies. The common feature of MAS in girls is peripheral precocious puberty (PP) with the recurrent ovary cysts. Few cases of ovary tumors have been described to date.8,5 year-old girl with MAS is closely observed in our centre since the age 4,5, when the diagnosis was est...

Objectives: To investigate sensitivity, specificity and predictive values (PPV, NPP) of autoantibodies against 21-hydroxylase in APECED patients with and without adrenal insufficiency (AI) and in patients with other forms of AI.Methods: 42 patients with APECED and 24 patients with other forms of AI were recruited. APECED was confirmed by finding at least two major components of the disease and/or two mutations in AIRE gene and/or high levels of antibodie...

Background: Growth Hormone (GH) plays an important role in linear growth and in bone turnover during childhood. GH deficiency (GHD) may cause secondary osteoporosis associated to low bone mineral density (BMD), impairment of bone turnover and increased fracture rate. The effects of treatment with recombinant human Growth Hormone (rhGH) on bone metabolism are controversial. We aimed to assess BMD using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) among a cohort of children with GHD ...

Background: The risk of cardiovascular diseases is increased in girls with TS. The influence by combined GH and estrogen treatment on a condition of cardiovascular system is actively discussed.Objective and hypotheses: We performed this study to assess th effects of combined GH and estrogen treatment on lipid metabolism and systolic function of the left ventricle (LV) in girls with Turner syndrome without clinically relevant cardiac abnormalities.<p ...

Introduction: A low oxygen and/or nutrient supply to the fetus, resulting in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), can affect gonadal development of the offspring and have a potential impact on fertility. Epidemiological studies on subjects born small for gestational age (SGA), as a surrogate measure of IUGR, have reported contradictory results. Data derived from animal models of placental insufficiency are limited.Objective and hypotheses: To investig...