ESPE Abstracts

Background: Counselling adolescents with chronic diseases can be challenging when it comes to appropriate interview techniques and the doctor's attitude towards the patient. Successful communication can be a key element of treatment. Motivational interviewing (MI) is widely applicable in the management of behavioural problems and illnesses, as it increases patients' motivation for lifestyle changes. This plays a particularly important role in the tre...

Background: Following the 2010 CAH consensus, the need for genetic confirmation of diagnosis remains uncertain and variation in practice is unclear.Methods: This variation was assessed by using the International CAH(I-CAH) Registry which was developed using the same platform as the I-DSD Registry.Results: After the development of the I-CAH Registry in October 2014, the rate of addition of CAH cases increased from 2/month to 14/mont...

Background: It is well known that boys are heavier than girls at birth. Causes of this difference are thought to originate from the Y chromosome and as a result of androgen action. Although some studies showed that sex dimorphism in size at birth is dependent of fetal androgens, one study reported that it is not generated by action of androgens.Objective and hypotheses: To determine birth weight (BW) of children in different aetiologies of disorder of se...

Three patients from two unrelated families in Malta; one consanguineous (siblings: Patient 1, male and Patient 2, female) and one non-consanguineous (Patient 3, male), manifested hypogonadotropic hypogonadism with delayed puberty, intellectual disability, scoliosis, and ataxia with cerebellar hypoplasia on MRI. GnRH tests revealed low peak LH and FSH concentrations in the patients: Patient 1; LH 2.3 IU/L, FSH 4.4 IU/L (14.3y), Patient 2; LH 3.6 IU/L, FSH 6.4 IU/L (12.5y), Pati...

Background: Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is an inherited multisystem disorder predominantly affecting the mineralization of bones and teeth. HPP is caused by pathogenic variants in ALPL, which encodes tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase. A major challenge in diagnosing HPP is interpreting variants in ALPL classified as variants of uncertain significance (VUS) according to ACMG/AMP criteria, creating uncertainty in patients and treating physicians resulting in d...

Introduction: Monogenic defects in the leptin-melanocortin pathway result in hyperphagia and severe, early-onset obesity. Knowledge of the natural history of anthropometric parameters in patients with monogenic obesity is essential for diagnosis. However, reliable data on early childhood weight and height development in affected patients are lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the history of height, weight, and BMI development in early childhood in a Europea...

6q24 methylation defects are the most common cause of Transient Neonatal Diabetes Mellitus (TNDM). The clinical picture is one of impaired insulin secretion, small for gestational age and diabetes mellitus aged <6 months. This case illustrates the fluctuation between both hyper- and hypoglycaemia that can been seen in 6q24 methylation defects. A term, small for gestational age baby boy was noted to have hypoglycaemia (BSL 1.8 mmol/l) at 1.5 h of life which resolved with or...

Introduction: Depending on the underlying diagnosis, Disorders of Sex Development (DSD) can be associated with an increased risk of germ cell cancers. To date, however, knowledge regarding the indications and timing of gonadectomy is lacking.Methods: The International-DSD (I-DSD) Registry was interrogated for anonymised information regarding the diagnosis, karyotype, sex of rearing and timing of gonadectomy, if undertaken, of all individuals of any karyo...

Background: Treatment of precocious puberty with GnRH analogues is well established. But there are concerns about weight gain in patients on this treatment. There have been conflicting reports about the effect of GnRH analogues on weight.Objective and hypotheses: To assess the change in BMI in children treated with GnRH analogues within a UK Endocrine Service and to analyse the patient/parent experience of the treatment.Method: A r...

Introduction: The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health state that adolescents with significant obesity require access to evidence-based weight management services (WMS). Due to the known benefits of exercise and physical activity (PA) on physiological and psychological outcomes increasing exercise and PA should form a cornerstone of any WMS for adolescents living with obesity. However, supervised exercise interventions face challenges within a clinica...