ESPE Abstracts

Background: Steroid hormones produced by the human fetal adrenals (HFA) are suggested to regulate intrauterine homeostasis and the maturation of certain fetal organs necessary for extrauterine life. Appropriate development and hormonal function of the HFA therefore are critical for normal fetal maturation and survival. Little is known about the possible relationship between the expression of steroidogenic enzymes and corresponding transcription factors in the HFA in vivo</...

Background: Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is characterised by progressive muscle weakness, resulting from loss of anterior horn cells in the spinal cord and the brain stem nuclei. Survival motor neuron levels (SMN) are reduced due to mutations in the SMN1 gene. SMN function has been implicated in poor bone health. SMA is classified according to age of onset and clinical course accordingly: type 0 (prenatal), type 1 (onset <6 months, severe, never sit unsupported), type 2 (...

Background: Congenital Hyperinsulinism (CHI) is the most common cause of recurrent and severe hypoglycaemia in childhood and can be broadly categorised into two subtypes. Diffuse CHI (CHI-D) involving all pancreatic cells is usually treated with medications and rarely subtotal pancreatectomy. Focal CHI (CHI-F) involves a solitary insulin hypersecreting pancreatic lesion and can be cured following surgical lesionectomy. Many patients with CHI-F and CHI-D underg...

Background: Hyperinsulinism (HI) due to excess and dysregulated insulin secretion is the most common cause of severe and recurrent hypoglycaemia in childhood. High cerebral glucose utilisation in the early hours results in high risk of hypoglycaemia for people with diabetes and carries a significant risk of brain injury. Prevention of hypoglycaemia is the cornerstone of management for HI but the risk of hypoglycaemia at night or indeed the timing of hypoglycae...

Background: Recent studies using data from the International Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) Registry (www.i-cah.org) (1), have provided valuable insight into the determinants of reported acute adrenal insufficiency (AI) related adverse events, demonstrating that the I-CAH Registry can be used as a tool to create clinical benchmarks in CAH care.Methods: Care quality reports were created for 32 centres who participat...

Background: FPLD2 results from autosomal dominant mutations in the LMNA gene. The physical appearance develops through adolescence where subcutaneous fat deposits of the limbs, trunk, buttocks and legs do not develop resulting in a muscular appearance. The metabolic phenotype includes elevations in triglyceride concentrations and hepatosteatosis with resultant insulin resistance. Co-morbidities that may manifest during young adulthood include early-onset diabe...

Introduction: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is associated with significantly higher cardiovascular disease mortality compared to the general population, even when glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is less than 7.0%. Inadequate body composition may increase the risk.Aim and Methods: To evaluate body composition of a group of pediatric patients with T1DM, from Portuguese Pediatric Endocrinology/Diabetic Clinic, using the bioim...

Background and Aims: In light of the recent evidence suggesting an increase in idiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP) cases during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study aimed to assess the proportion of patients referred for precocious puberty (PP) and, within this group, the number of ICPP cases diagnosed before and during the pandemic. Additionally, we compared the demographic, anthropometric, and clinical characteristics of ICPP patients between the two g...

Introduction and Aims: Autosomal dominant hypocalcemia or type V Bartter syndrome is characterized by hypocalcemia, low parathyroid hormone (PTH), and calciuria, which marks its prognosis due to the risk of nephrocalcinosis. It is caused by activating mutations in the calcium-sensing receptor (CASR) gene (3q21.1), which is expressed in the parathyroid and renal tubules, causing salt and potassium loss, due to the inhibition of the ROMK and NKCC2 channels. We s...

Introduction: Kenny-Caffey Syndrome Type 2 (KCS2) is a rare autosomal dominant genetic disorder caused by variants in the FAM111A gene, leading to cortical thickening and medullary stenosis of long bones. It is characterized by primary hypoparathyroidism, electrolyte disturbances, skeletal dysplasia with delayed closure of the anterior fontanelle, hypertelorism, and short stature. Intellectual development is normal.Case Report:</...