ESPE Abstracts

Background: Despite advances in genetic diagnosis and surgical technique, and guidance from the Consensus Statement on Intersex Disorders, aspects of clinical management in disorders/differences of sex development (DSD) remain unsettled. Actively debated decision points include gender of rearing in specific syndromes, genital surgery prior to the patient developing the capacity to provide assent, and uncertainty over how and when to best educate young patients about diagnostic...

Background: The prevalence of childhood obesity is high worldwide and predisposes to adult obesity and metabolic disorders. Many dietary approaches have been proposed to reduce this prevalence, but no single diet has proven to be superior to others in terms of long-term weight loss maintenance in children.Objective and hypotheses: To evaluate and compare long-term body weight changes among obese children and adolescents who had lost at least 10% of their...

Children with Type 1 diabetes are experiencing higher levels of overweight and obesity as a consequence of intensive insulin therapy as well as background socioeconomic and environmental factors that are contributing to excess adiposity in the general population. The consequences of obesity in people with type 1 diabetes are of particular concern, as obesity in adults increases the risk of both diabetes-related and obesity-related complications, including cardiovascular diseas...

Introduction: The main purpose of the study was to determine whether anthropometric measurements at preschool (PS)-age, in which physiological adiposity rebound is detected, and LT4 dose have an effect on the age of onset of puberty in children with hypothyroidism.Methods: This is an observational and retrospective study.Results: Puberty had begun in 44 girls and 25 boys out of 115...

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a key component of the body's defence against cold challenge and possesses the ability to convert large amounts of chemical energy to heat, conferred by a unique protein, uncoupling protein (UCP)-1, diverting mitochondrial respiration from the production of adenosine triphosphate. In humans, the largest BAT depot is in the supraclavicular region. Sympathetic nervous system stimulation induces glucose uptake into brown adipose tissue, as does i...

Background: Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), due to loss of paternal gene expression on chromosome 15q11.2-13, is characterized by hypotonia, hypothalamic-pituitary dysregulation, abnormal respiratory drive, and hyperphagia. GH, often started in infancy, improves tone, body composition, and height. Concerns about sudden death in children with PWS started on GH, hypothesized secondary to worsening obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) from adenotonsillar hypertrophy, resulted in guidelines...

Background: Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid closely related to the ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) considered as the major source of energy during prolonged exercise. During fasting, when the liver switches to fatty acid oxidation, a rise in serum GH occurs concomitantly with the accumulation of BHB and short chain fatty acids (SCFA) acetate, propionate and butyrate. Interactions between GH, ketone body and SCFA during the metabolic adaptation to fasting are poor...

Context: Deficiency of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 (3βHSD2) causes a very rare form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) known as 3βHSD2 deficiency, which is a consequence of biallelic HSD3B2 gene defects. The estimated prevalence is less than 1/1,000,000 live births. Knowledge of comprehensive steroid metabolome patterns in 3βHSD2 deficiency is scarce.Objective: We aimed...

Background: Primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) is a potentially life-threatening condition that requires accurate diagnosis and urgent treatment. Congenital adrenal hyperplasia is the most common cause of PAI in children. Non-CAH causes of PAI are relatively rare. Although several molecular causes have been found, it is emerging that considerable overlap in the clinical and biochemical features of these conditions exists.Objective and hypotheses: We inv...

Gender dysphoria indicates a psychological distress due to any incongruence between biological sex and gender identity, while transgender identity refers to an individual, whose gender identity is the opposite of the biological sex. The number of gender dysphoric youth seeking hormonal care seems to rise worldwide. Therefore, numerous bioethical and medical controversies are raising about possible side effects of hormonal therapies, including interference with brain developmen...