ESPE Abstracts

We report a case of hereditary hypophosphatemic rickets with hypercalciuria (Hereditary Hypophosphatemic Rickets with Hypercalciuria, HHRH) in a 13-year-old boy, referred for evaluation due to the onset of bilateral knee pain for about two years. Pain was intermittent and walking limiting and negatively affected quality of life. Negative family history of bone/joint pathologies and kidney stones. The parents are consanguineous (first cousins), have normal stature and no histor...

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare genetic disease characterized by bone fragility and an increased risk of fractures. Intravenous bisphosphonates are the current gold standard for the treatment of OI: the aim of this therapy is an increase in Bone Mass Density (BMD) and a consequent reduction in pathological fracture rates. Currently, the only bisphosphonate approved in Italy for pediatric population is neridronate, infused in hospital once every four months. In San Raffa...

Background: NEUROD1 encoding neurogenic differentiation 1 is known to play an important role in the development of the pancreas and central nervous system. Heterozygous mutations have been rarely identified as a cause of maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY6). Biallelic NEUROD1 mutations have been reported to cause neonatal diabetes mellitus (NDM) as well. However, only 3 cases have been reported worldwide so far....

Medical antiretroviral treatment changed dramatically the course of the infection and life expectancy of people living with HIV (PLWH). However, age-dependent morbidity and mortality remains high, mostly due to non-HIV related conditions. Among others, cardiovascular diseases is nowadays an important cause of morbidity in PLWH. Integrase inhibitors are now part of the standard treatment scheme, because of their efficacy and tolerability. However, recent reports showed an impor...

Background: Genomic imprinting is the process by which preferential methylation of one parental allele results in parent of origin specific expression of particular genes. Methylation is established during gametogenesis and is maintained throughout development. Alterations in any of the processes in the establishment and maintenance of methylation can lead to aberrant imprinting, which can result in either reactivation of the original silent allele or the sile...

Bone fragility is a more typical condition of old age, linked to physiological aging. In pediatric age, on the contrary, it represents a rare problem, but more often has an underlying primary cause. This condition manifests itself in most cases with recurrent or abnormal fractures and bone deformities, with a limitation of mobility, bone pain and consequent reduction in the quality of life of the child. The great difficulty for the clinician consists in reaching a correct diag...

Hypothyroidism is the most common thyroid disorder in children. It usually presents with nonspecific symptoms, that can be mild and occur slowly over time, compromising a timely diagnosis, with possible effects on pituitary gland, multiple organs and growth. In case of long-standing unrecognized hypothyroidism, myxedema or myxedema coma can occur, rare but severe conditions. This case report describes an adolescent presenting with extensive trunk and neck swelling. After exclu...

Background: Immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, X-linked (IPEX) syndrome is a rare disorder caused by loss-of-function mutations in the gene encoding the forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) transcription factor. This factor plays a key role in the differentiation and function of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells, essential for the establishment and maintenance of natural tolerance.Objective: To describe clinic...

Introduction: Short stature is frequently associated to neurofibromatosis (NF). In these patients this condition is often caused by growth hormone (GH) deficiency. We describe four boys affected by NF type 1 and GH deficiency treated with GH replacement therapy.Case report: GH deficiency was diagnosed in four patients with NF type 1, who were referred to our Pediatric Endocrinology Unit for short stature. Patient 1 started GH replacement therapy at the C...

Introduction: Kabuki syndrome (KS) is a rare genetic disorder (1 in 32,000 newborns) caused by mutations in the KMT2D gene (autosomal dominant pattern) or the KDM6A gene (X-linked dominant inheritance). KS is characterized by distinctive facial features including arched eyebrows, long eyelashes, long palpebral fissures with everted lower lids at the outside edges, flat, broadened tip of the nose and large protruding earlobes. The name of this disorder comes from the resemblanc...