ESPE Abstracts

Aggrecan, encoded by ACAN, is a major proteoglycan component in the extracellular matrix of the growth plate. At least 25 pathological ACAN mutations have been identified in patients with highly variable phenotypes of syndromic or non-syndromic short stature. A 6-year-old boy was referred to our Centre for short stature (height 103.60 cm, −3.14 SDS) in familial short stature. Mid-Parental target height was 161.15 cm (−2.38 SDS); His father (height 167.3 cm) is from...

Background and objective: Pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) refers to a heterogeneous group of rare endocrine disorders caused by genetic or epigenetic abnormalities affecting the GNAS locus. It is mainly characterized by resistance to PTH and TSH and a complete or partial Albright Hereditary Osteodistrophy (AHO) phenotype. Few data so far exist on LH/FSH, calcitonin and glucose-lipid metabolism involvement, as well as on neurocognitive aspects. The aim of this multicentre study ...

The patient was referred to our Centre for short stature. Weight and length at birth were within normal limits. In the neonatal period he showed jaundice and hypoglycemia. A reduced growth velocity was reported from the age of six months. At 15 months his length was 70 cm (−3.75 SDS), his weight 8.1 kg (−2.26 SDS). Parental target height was 167.6 cm (−1.38 SDS). He had normal psychomotor development. The examination showed macrocrania and nasal voice. Blood ...

GR and GT are diamniotic monochorial preterm twins (32 GA), both AGA (GR: W -1 SDS, L -1.5 SDS; GT: W and L 0 SDS), with normal karyotype and array-CGH on amniotic fluid, with no major complications associated to prematurity. At birth GT presented bilaterally cryptorchidism associated with micropenis, GR presented normal male genitalia. In the first year of life a severe growth deceleration in length (from -3SDS to -5 SDS) was observed, mainly after six months of life in both ...

Objectives: Preterm infants often present CH characterized by delayed TSH elevation. We describe the clinical and biochemical features and the evolution of CH in preterm infants with delayed TSH elevation, detected by the second screening for CH.Material and Methods: All preterm infants born between 2007 and 2014 negative to the first screening (b-TSH<10 mcU/ml) at 2–5 days of life and positive to the second screening at 12–33 days (b-TSH&#...

Background: Pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1A (PHP1A) and PseudoPHP are caused respectively by maternal and paternal mutations involving those GNAS exons that encode the alpha-subunit of the stimulatory G protein (Gsα). Common to different forms of PHP1B is a loss-of-methylation (LOM) at one or several maternal GNAS exons, which likely reduces Gsα expression in certain tissues. In most autosomal dominant PHP1B variants (AD-PHP1B), LOM is restricted t...

Background: Congenital hypopituitarism is a rare cause of pituitary insufficiency (incidence: 12–42 new cases/million per year; prevalence: 300–455 cases/million). The aetiology remains largely unclear: the most frequently correlated genetic abnormalities are those involving transcription factors implicated in pituitary organogenesis. The phenotype and neuroradiological findings associated with the underlying genotype may be highly variable (from an isolated hypopitu...

Background: Septo-optic dysplasia (SOD) is a congenital, rare anomaly (1:10 000) associated with optic nerve hypoplasia, midline brain abnormalities and pituitary hormone abnormalities. Genetic alterations associated are: HESX1, SOX2 and SOX3. SOD’s pattern of growth even without GH treatment has been reported to be often good.Objective and hypotheses: Evaluate SOD’s growth in patients followed in our Centre.Method: See F...

Background: SHOX-D is rarely diagnosed in early infancy as cause of short stature.Objective and hypotheses: Describe clinical characteristics of two girls with an early diagnosis of Leri-Weill dyschondrosteosis, admitted to our hospital because of severe short stature.Method: Mutation screening of SHOX and its regulatory regions was performed by MLPA. Family analysis was undertaken.Results: The first 1.3 year...

Background: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and methimazole (MMI)-induced toxic hepatitis are both rare diseases in pediatric age.Case presentation: We present the case of a 15-year-old girl affected by idiopathic arthritis and autoimmune thyroiditis. The autoimmune thyroiditis was diagnosed at 13 years of age. At 15 years old she developed hyperthyroidism (TSH <0.01 mcU/ml, FT4 2.3 ng/dl, FT3 8.4 pg/ml, TRAb 18 IU/l) and was treated with MMI (0.28 mg/kg ...