ESPE Abstracts

Background: Childhood obesity is a global health problem and co-morbidities develop already during childhood and adolescence. Male obesity impacts negatively on reproductive function. Testosterone is decreased, sperm quality reduced, and the physical and molecular structure of germ cells altered in obese males. However, less is known about the role of prepubertal obesity on future reproductive function. We therefore explored Leydig cell function and reproductive potential in a...

Background: 14½ year old girl presented with increased skin pigmentation, weakness of limbs and walking difficulty and delayed puberty.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate the girl for the aetiology of hyperpigmentation, neuromuscular weakness and delayed development of secondary sexual characters.Method: The girl was evaluated by neurologist and found to have development delay, sensory and motor neuropathy, ataxia, amyotroph...

Background/aim: Hyperparathyroidism (HPHT) is a common feature in patients with X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) especially when treated with vitamin D analogues and phosphate supplements. Although the exact mechanism is not clear, it is assumed that phosphate supplements taken chronically stimulate parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion. We prospectively assessed the effect of a novel pathogenetic treatment anti-FGF23 (burosumab) on PTH levels in children with XL...

We recently assessed systolic heart function in children from IUGR and normal control pregnancies and reported early developmental impairment of left ventricular longitudinal strain – a sensitive echocardiographic measure – during the first 3 months of life in IUGR children. In accordance with previous studies, this suggest that the increased cardiovascular risk later in life imposed by IUGR/SGA may, at least to some extent, be primary and not entirely secondary to...

Steroidogenic enzyme expression in the fetal adrenal and the placenta hints at the production and metabolism of adrenal-derived 11-oxy androgens (11OxyAs) in the fetal-placental unit. Thus, 11OxyAs are present in placental tissue, fetal cord blood and neonatal serum, and could have a particular role during fetal development. The metabolism of the 11OxyAs in the fetal unit, therefore, presents as a focal point of investigation. Adrenal androgens are primarily metabolized by the...

Background/Aim: 25 to 40% of children with well-controlled X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) show linear growth failure, despite optimal conventional treatment (oral phosphate supplementation and active forms of vitamin D) with final height -2 SDS. Recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) may be an adjuvant treatment of the growth retardation in these patients. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to describe how rhGH treatment improves final heigh...

Background: Noonan syndrome (NS) is a rare genetic disease characterized by facial dysmorphism, short stature, heart defects, chest deformities, and variable developmental delay/learning disabilities. Almost 80% of patients have a mutation in the genes encoding components of the RAS/MAPK pathway. Puberty was described as delayed in NS patients, but few studies are focusing on this subject and genotype-phenotype correlations so far.<s...

Background/Aim: Several criteria for the first year growth response (FYGR) to growth hormone (GH) treatment have been proposed. We explored which FYGR criteria predict best the final height outcome after GH treatment in prepubertal children with GH deficiency (GHD).Methods: Height data of 129 GHD children (83 boys) treated with GH for at least 4 consecutive years with at least 1 year before pubertal onset, were retrieved...

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: 16 year old female neonate presented with neonatal diabetes, congenital hypothyroidism and sepsis.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate the neonate for a common cause of neonatal diabetes, congenital hypothyroidism and sepsis and to explore for the best modality of management, including a possible role for sulphonylureas.Method: The neonate born of 3rd degree consanguinity was admitted and started on insulin infusion an...