ESPE Abstracts

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant increase in Central Precocious Puberty(CPP) has been observed worldwide. The reasons for this phenomenon are yet unclear. In order to evaluate if fear, stress and coping strategies used by children and parents when dealing with negative emotional situations and health issues might have acted as triggers for this phenomenon, we administered specific questionnaires to girls who had a diagnosis of CPP before and after the COVID-19 relat...

Introduction: Growth hormone (GH) is essential for stimulating growth and cell proliferation through its effects on metabolism, cartilage and bone growth. We have conducted initial studies to find new biomarkers for GH deficiency and early treatment response, focusing on miRNAs expressed in both sexes. We aimed at investigating sex-specific differences in circulating miRNAs at baseline and after 3 months on GH treatment in a cohort of prepubertal children with...

Background: The term congenital hypothyroidism was introduced more than 60 years ago when Radwin et al. first described children with hypothyroid-associated features of severe intellectual disability and growth retardation. It is the most common endocrine congenital disorder and preventable cause of mental retardation. Newborn screening programs are an efficient tool for the secondary prevention of mental retardation associated with untreated congenital hypothyroidism...

Background: Diazoxide and octreotide are first and second-line of treatment for HH respectively. Long-acting somatostatin analogue (Lanreotide, LA) has been used in adults with neuroendocrine conditions through its effect on somatostatin receptors 2 (SSTR2) and 5 (SSTR5).Objective and hypotheses: (i) To evaluate the efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of LA therapy in children with HH. (ii) To determine somatostatin receptor expression on pancreatic al...

Background: Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is cause of severe hypoglycaemia. Octreotide (somatostatin analogue), given as four times daily s.c. injections or via a pump, is used as second line treatment in diazoxide unresponsive CHI patients.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of our study was to evaluate the use of a long acting somatostatin analogue (Lanreotide) in patients with CHI.Method: Diffuse CHI patients above three years ...

Background: Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) causes severe hypoglycaemia in children. Diazoxide and daily octreotide injections are first and second-line of treatment for CHI respectively. Diazoxide can cause severe hypertrichosis resulting in parental anxiety and compliance issues.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate the efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetics of Lanreotide therapy in CHI patients.Method: Patients >6 months of ...

Introduction: Previous studies showed that non-obese children and adults with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) have a low frequency of metabolic syndrome (MetS), while obese ones have a frequency similar to that of non-PWS obese. It is known that individuals born small for gestational age (SGA) have a greater predisposition to the development of MetS. Recent neonatal percentiles of subjects with PWS (Salvatoni et al, Am J Med Genet Part A, 2019) documented...

Background: Adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency is a systemic metabolic disease that primarily affects the immune system and lymphocyte development, causing a severe combined immunodeficiency (ADA-SCID). However, the accumulation of toxic metabolites occurs in other organs and systems. Since most ADA-SCID patients undergo definitive treatment with Gene Therapy (GT) or allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), preceded by conditioning (either...

Introduction: The diagnostic gold standard for Central Precocious puberty (CPP) is the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulation test. MR imaging of the brain (MRI) and the hypothalamus-pituitary region is required to exclude organic causes.Objective: The aim of the study was to explore a radiomic model that could assist physicians in the diagnostic workup of CPP.Methods: 4...

Mitochondrial diseases are multisystemic disorders which often involve endocrine system, as defective oxidative phosphorylation can lead to decreased hormones production or secretion and all steroid hormones are synthesized in the mitochondria. Endocrine dysfunctions can therefore represent the initial symptoms of these pathologies and the incidence of various endocrinopathies varies between different mitochondrial disease. Diabetes mellitus is the most frequently described en...