ESPE Abstracts

Background: GnRH analogs (GnRHa) have been used in treatment of idiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP) for several decades. Their effectiveness on adult height (AH) improvement has been widely studied and is still debated.Objective and hypotheses: To assess whether BMI changes in ICPP girls during GnRHa treatment can influence AH.Method: A retrospective study of 131 ICPP girls (mean age at diagnosis: 7.6±0.7, range 4.3&#...

Background: Screening for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) with the possibility of an early treatment has transformed the outlook for children with CH. Despite the unquestioned public health success of newborn screening programs, the management of CH is still controversial. Most patients with positive screening have permanent hypothyroidism but some of them may have transient hyperthyreotropinemia, so it is important to identify these patients in order to avoid lifelong unnecess...

Background: Numerous studies have shown that GH, in addition to promoting linear growth, exerts a key role in many metabolic processes. However, there are only few studies aiming at evaluating the metabolic panel of children with GH deficiency (GHD). The aims of the study were: to verify the presence of metabolic alterations in GHD children in comparison with age-matched controls and to check the possible effects of 2 year GH therapy on the metabolic parameters in GHD.<p c...

Background: Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) in childhood may present with either euthyroidism (52.1% of cases), or primary overt hypothyroidism (22.2%), subclinical hypothyroidism (19.2%), overt hyperthyroidism (3.5%), or subclinical hyperthyroidism (3%). In a large series of 608 children and adolescents with presenting HT, we found in no cases a biochemical picture with low free thyroxine (FT4) and normal or low-normal TSH serum levels, i.e. a thyroid pattern tha...

Background: Only few studies have focused on neurosensory hearing function of patients with congenital hypothyroidism (CH) identified by CH screening programs and treated early and, therefore, this issue remains still controversial.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of this study was to ascertain whether an early and adequate replacement treatment may be able to prevent sensorineural hearing loss in 32 screened children with CH and no associated risk fact...

Background: Hypothyroidism may be also a rare cause of acquired hypoceruloplasminemia. It has recently been underlined a role for thyroid hormone in the normal developmental regulation of ceruloplasmin (cp).Case presentation: A 3-year-old Caucasian girl was admitted to our clinic for recurrent pericarditis, fatigue and muscle weakness. Her family history was remarkable for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves disease. Her recent personal history was s...

Introduction: Pediatric obesity is associated with an increased risk of serious long-term complications. Therapeutic failure is influenced by several factors, such as the high dropout rate. A retrospective study was conducted on a cohort of children and adolescents with essential obesity, in order to evalute (1)the average duration of a correct follow-up and the percentage of weight loss at the end of it, (2)the rate of drop-out, researching related factors.</...

Cystic fibrosis related diabetes (CFRD) is one of the main complications of cystic fibrosis (CF), following inflammatory-degenerative damage of the pancreas. Aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of replacement insulin therapy in patients with cystic fibrosis complicated by overt diabetes or pre-diabetes on BMI and respiratory function. We selected a sample of 17 insulin treated patients (Group T) and a sample of 17 controls with CF but normal glucose metabolism (Group ...

Background: It had never been investigated to now whether the course of thyroid function in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) may differ in the children who had presented with either euthyroidism or subclinical hypothyroidism (SH).Objective and hypotheses: To establish, by means of a 5-year prospective evaluation of 234 children with HT and no prognostic risk factors, whether thyroid status evolution over time may be conditioned by the biochemical patter...

Background: During the last years, it has been sporadically reported that Graves’ disease (GD) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) may follow one another in the same individuals, due to a sequential phenotypic conversion from GD to HT or vice versa.Objective and hypotheses: To shed further light on the specific relationships between Down syndrome (DS) and metamorphic thyroid autoimmunity.Method: We have reconstructed the con...