ESPE Abstracts

Background: Children born SGA are at risk of becoming short adults. Although most children born SGA show catch-up growth in the first 24 months of life, approximately 10% remain below the 3rd centile throughout childhood and adolescence. The available evidence shows that GH therapy can increase adult height in short children born SGA although long-term response is variable and closely related to the 1st year response.Aims:</stron...

Background: GH secretion is classically assessed by provocative tests and, indirectly, by IGF-1 serum levels. However, their diagnostic accuracy is low. The aim of the study was to evaluate the adult height (AH) in short patients with IGF-1 ≤-1,5 SDS.Method: 52 short patients (height-SDS -2.6 (-3.1- -2.3), age 12.2 (10.2-13.7) y, 36 boys), with low height velocity(HV)-SDS (-1.6 (-3.2- -0.9)) and IGF-1 ≤-1,5 SDS (-2...

Background: Multiple factors may affect intrauterine growth leading to birth of children small for gestational age (SGA). The impact of subtle genetic alterations on both pre and post-natal growth is still largely unknown.Objective and Hypotheses: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of CNVs in a cohort of SGA children with persistent short stature.Subjects and Methods</s...

Pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) is a rare disease characterized by hormone resistance due to defect of the α subunit of the stimulatory G protein (Gsα). Hypocalcemia due to parathyroid hormone (PTH) resistance is common. PHP1a determined by maternal LoF mutations in GNAS, presents severe obesity as early feature with increased risk of developing metabolic derangement during life. The aim of the study was to evaluate the metabolic alteration in a population of...

Background: The Wilms tumor suppressor gene 1 (WT1) is essential for kidney and gonadal development. WT1 gene mutations are associated with two syndromes called Denys-Drash (DDS) and Frasier (FS) that clinically overlap and differ in the type of mutation and in the age at nephropathy onset. In 46,XY subjects WT1 mutations are associated with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (NS), Wilms tumor, disorder of sex development (DSD) with dysgenetic gonads and gonadoblastoma risk....

Background: Obesity is usually correlated with a higher prevalence of 25OH vitamin D (25OHD) deficiency. This might be due to either volumetric dilution of vitamin D in the large fat mass or its increased uptake by adipose tissue. To our knowledge, a systematic study on 25OHD levels in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), a genetic disorder associated with severe obesity, is not available.Objective and hypotheses: To analyze the 25OHD values in a population of p...

Background: Organic lesions in males with central precocious puberty (CPP) have been reported in 40% of cases. This high prevalence decreases (20–29%) when patients with previously diagnosed alterations of central nervous system (CNS) are excluded. Reported predictors of organic lesions are age at puberty onset, bone age, BMI, LH peak response and testosterone levels.Objective and hypotheses: To determine the prevalence and type of intracranial lesi...

Background: Growth retardation is seen in about 30% of children with chronic renal failure (CRF). Under-nutrition, anaemia, secondary hyperparathyroidism, acidosis, corticosteroid therapy and abnormalities in the GH/insulin like growth factor system have been implicated. Recombinant GH (rGH) therapy is recommended in children showing failure to maintain a normal height velocity despite optimized primary treatments.Objective and hypotheses: It has been de...

Background: The Adrenocortical Neoplasm (ACN) is a rare condition in childhood (0,3 cases/1000000). In paediatric age, ACN at stage 1 is treated by complete adrenalectomy, while at stages 2 and 3 surgery is followed by adjuvant treatment with Mitotane (M). Chemotherapy is required in metastatic cases (stage 4).Objective and hypotheses: M is an adrenal cytotoxic agent which has both adrenolytic action on ACN cells and inhibition on steroid hormone synthes...

Background: Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (RSTS) is a rare genetic syndrome characterized by postnatal growth retardation, intellectual disability, microcephaly, peculiar facial features, broad thumbs and big toes and other organs malformations. There are two forms: RSTS type 1 characterized by CREBBP gene mutations (16p13.3); RSTS type 2 dues to mutations/ deletions in EP300 gene (22q13.2). The type 2 is associated with mild phenotype with possible absence of the typical diagnost...