ESPE Abstracts

Background: Growth Hormone Insensitivity (GHI) is usually caused by mutations in the Growth Hormone receptor (GHR). Patients present with short stature associated with high GH and low IGF-I levels and often have midfacial hypoplasia (typical Laron syndrome facial features). Our centre previously described the first GHR pseudoexon mutation (42700896A>G, c. 618+792A>G). The inclusion of this 108bp pseudoexon is predicted to lead to in-frame insertion of...

Background: BRAF is a component of the RAS/MAPK signalling pathway; germline mutations in components of this pathway are associated with congenital abnormalities such as Cardio-Facio-Cutaneous (CFC), Noonan and Costello Syndromes. These syndromes, known as RASopathies, are characterised by variably penetrant central nervous system, cardiac and facial abnormalities. Importantly, short stature and delayed puberty have been associated with these syndromes, as have featur...

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in children is a common medical disorder, often associated with adenoid and tonsil hypertrophy. The prevalence of OSAS has been increasing due to alarming rates of obesity in childhood. This is a very concerning subject since there is a higher risk of cardiovascular outcomes in patients with elevated BMI and OSAS.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of this study is to report a hazardous case regarding chi...

Background: An adrenal crisis (AC) is a life-threatening complication of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). Despite modern therapies, children with CAH still present with symptomatic adrenal insufficiency (AI) and AC.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of the study was to determine the spectrum of symptoms and signs of AI in children with diagnosed CAH who were admitted to hospital for an acute illness, as well as to evaluate the use of stress dosing an...

Background: Obesity in Prader-Willi Syndrome has peculiar features associated to reduced lean body mass which could confer different metabolic characteristics.Objective and hypotheses: The aim of this study is to describe and to compare the metabolic profile in obese patients and obese Prader-Willi syndrome patients (OPWS) followed in a Pediatric Endocrinology outpatient clinic.Method: 45 obese and 22 OPWS patients between 8 and 20...

Background: Growth hormone insensitivity (GHI) encompasses normal/elevated growth hormone (GH), low IGF-I levels and growth restriction. Non-classical/mild-moderate GHI is an emerging entity which is poorly characterised, and, in many subjects, the underlying cause is unclear. Heterozygous dominant negative (DN) variants located in the intracellular/transmembrane domain of the GH receptor (GHR) cause a ‘non-classical’ GHI phenotype.<p class="abst...

Introduction: Obesity is a significant public health concern affecting children and young people (CYP) worldwide. The impact of obesity on CYP is multi-faceted and can have a significant effect on their lives. They are at risk of being stigmatized and discriminated against, leading to poor academic performance and social functioning. It is crucial to assess the impact of obesity on the lives of CYP through tools such as Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) q...

Background: Noonan syndrome (NS) is caused by variants in multiple genes regulating the RAS/MAPK signalling cascade. NS can present with growth failure associated with growth hormone insensitivity (GHI; low IGF-I and normal/elevated GH levels). Variants in LZTR1 lead to NS, although the interaction of LZTR1 with the RAS/MAPK and the GH-IGF-1 pathways remain to be elucidated.Objectives: To gain insights into the ...

Inflammation is a known feature of Down syndrome (DS) and is caused by a dysregulation between pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is characterised by a slowly developing persistent inflammation of the thyroid gland which frequently leads to hypothyroidism. In DS children, HT is the most common autoimmune disease ad its prevalence has been reported to be more elevated than that generally seen in age-matched patients without DS: 34% vs 1.3%, r...

Loss of function mutations in SGPL1 (sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase) are associated with a syndromic form of primary adrenal insufficiency. A third of affected male individuals also have evidence of early primary gonadal insufficiency, with an undervirilised phenotype at birth. SGPL1 carries out irreversible breakdown of the signalling molecule sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and deficiency leads to accumulation of S1P and other upstream sphingolipid intermediates to var...