ESPE Abstracts

Aim: Western Australia is a state with unique geography and population distribution having only a single tertiary paediatric hospital (Princess Margaret Hospital, PMH in Perth) managing the majority of children and adolescents with fractures in the Emergency Department (ED). Fracture incidence in 0–16 year olds is known to be high and varies between countries with boys having a 1.5 fold higher fracture incidence than girls. There are no specific data for Australia. The ai...

Background: Secretion of catecholamines by adipose tissue M2 macrophages was recently proposed as a molecular mechanism leading to activation of brown adipose tissue and heat generation in mice. However, published data are conflicting and it is not clear whether this pathway might play a role in humans. To shed light on this, we studied macrophage polarization in human white and brown adipose tissue and related it to thermogenic gene expression.Methods: ...

Introduction: Congenital Hypothyroidism if not treated timely presents with growth & developmental delay. Thyroid hormones and Growth hormone- Insulin like growth factor 1 axis (GH-IGF-1) together are critical for somatic and skeletal growth. Hypothyroidism and derangement in this axis leads to profound growth retardation and delayed skeletal maturation. Limited studies suggest that thyroxine directly regulates IGF-1 independent of GH in congenital hypothyroidism.<p cl...

The worldwide prevalence of overweight and obesity has been steadily increasing, also among children and adolescents, and has reached alarming pandemic proportions in Europe and elsewhere. Childhood overweight is a main predictor of adult overweight and obesity. Obesity treatment is largely ineffective, and a still stronger focus on primary prevention is needed. Such prevention should take a population and a life course approach and should focus on promoting healthy energy bal...

Background: Otological problems in Turner syndrome (TS) are notoriously common and troublesome, often requiring intervention with adeno-tonsillectomy, insertion of ventilation tubes and occasionally resulting in serious disease such as cholesteatoma.Survey of otological problems in the West of Scotland: A case note review of 174 girls attending the Turner clinic in Glasgow, Scotland from 1989–2015 found that of 155 patients in whom data were availab...

Background: It is well-known that human GH (hGH) treatment increases growth rate in idiopathic short stature (ISS) in the short term which might predict the overall height gain. However,the fact that ISS might involve a heterogeneous group of individuals with individual benefits from hGH treatment makes the decision to treat or not to treat difficult.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of this study was to investigate retrospectively whether an IGF1 genera...

Background: Primary adrenal insufficiency other than congenital adrenal hyperplasia (non-CAH PAI) is very uncommon in children but associated with a variety of molecular defects. Biosynthesis of adrenocortical hormones is reduced although the relation of steroid profiles with underlying molecular etiology is not yet studied.Objective: Investigation of clinical and steroid hormone profiles of a multicenter cohort of child...

Introduction: Steroid profiling in children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is used to monitor the balance between androgen and cortisol metabolites and to decide on the optimal glucocorticoid dosage. Twenty-four hour collection is the gold standard for measurement of steroid metabolites in urine, because steroid production follows a circadian rhythm and is influenced by short-term stress and steroid drugs. For some children, e.g. those who were diap...

Objective: Hypothalamic dysfunction is a rare condition and can be encountered in patients who have been diagnosed or treated for a suprasellar brain tumor. Due to its rarity, signs and symptoms of hypothalamic dysfunction may be difficult to recognize, leading to delayed diagnosis of the suprasellar brain tumor or to difficulties in finding the health care expertise for hypothalamic dysfunction after tumor treatment. To improve care and outcome of patients wi...

Objectives: Age at menarche depends on genetic, environmental, epigenetic and other factors. Studies have shown that aspects of perinatal history, including birth weight, mode of delivery (caesarian section or vaginal delivery) and gestational week at birth influence the onset of puberty. The purpose of this study was to record the age at menarche in a sample of Greek girls and to correlate it with their perinatal history, the mothers’ age at menarche, t...