Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterised by impaired cortisol synthesis. In the CaHASE study, a surprisingly low number of cases were identified as attending adult endocrine clinics. It has been suggested that patients with CAH are lost to follow up around the time of transition to adult services.In our service, there is a transition clinic that has a lead paediatric and adult Consultant who attend...

Introduction: Bisphosphonate therapy (BPT) reduces osteoclast activity and may be associated with adynamic bone turnover. The extent of suppression of bone turnover and its determinants are unclear.Methods: Markers of bone metabolism were evaluated in 15 children (9M/6F) receiving cyclical BPT intravenously for osteoporosis. The median age at first biochemical assessment was 10.8 years (0.16, 16.3). Serum type I collagen cross-linked C-telopeptide (CTX),...

Introduction: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare condition primarily affecting children. It is characterised by clonal proliferation of Langerhans cells. Disease severity is dependent on the type and number of organs involved in addition to focality. Disease aetiology remains unclear. We aimed to record the incidence and characteristics of West of Scotland LCH patients with a focus on predictive factors for endocrine dysfunction.Method: Consec...

Background: Paediatric thyrotoxicosis due Graves’ disease (GD)and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) disease is both more rare yet more severe than in adulthood. Antithyroid drug treatment (ATD) is with carbimazole or PTU either alone (dose titration (DT)) or with L-thyroxine (L-T4) – block and replace (BR).Methods: We have examined outcome of medical treatment in a cohort of patients treated from 1989 to...

Introduction: GH signalling is essential for post-natal linear bone growth. The systemic/local mechanisms responsible for GH action remain unclear as the importance of liver derived IGF1 on linear growth has recently been challenged.Aim: To unravel the underlying mechanisms of linear bone growth we exploited the suppressor of cytokine signalling-2 (SOCS2) KO mice which have enhanced linear growth despite normal systemic IGF1 and GH levels.<p class="a...

GH is anabolic to the skeleton but its mode of action is unclear. Clues are available from the study of the suppressor of cytokine signalling-2 (SOCS2) KO mouse which has increased bone mass despite normal systemic IGF1 levels. Whilst suggesting direct GH effects on bone forming osteoblasts the precise signalling mechanisms remain unclear. The aims of this study were, therefore, to further detail the bone phenotype of SOCS2 KO mice and determine if GH promotes bone mass by mec...

Background: Puberty is understood to be commonly affected in adolescents with Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC).Objective: To determine the impact of IBD on pubertal status and pubertal growth.Methods: Single centre prospective study over 12 months of 45 adolescents (boys, 23) with CD and 18 (boys, 12) with UC with a median age of 13.4 years (10, 16.6). Assessment included details of disease, anthropometry and b...

Background: Hyperthyroidism is a significant medical condition in paediatric patients with serious health consequences. Optimal treatment remains debatable.Objective: To review 23 years’ experience of paediatric hyperthyroidism in the West of Scotland.Methods: Case notes of patients treated for thyrotoxicosis in Glasgow, Paisley, Ayrshire and Lanarkshire from 1987 until 2009 inclusive were retrospectively reviewed. Patients wi...

Introduction: Treatment with anti-TNFα therapy such as infliximab may improve growth in children with CD but the extent of improvement in growth and its relationship to pubertal progress and changes in glucocorticoid therapy are unclear.Aim: A retrospective study of growth, puberty and disease activity over the 6 months prior (T−6) to starting infliximab, at baseline (T0) and for the following 6 months (T+6) in CD. Results are expressed as med...

Background: The Scottish Genital Anomaly Network(SGAN) is a national managed clinical network that provides care to patients with a suspected disorder of sex development(DSD). Factors that influence the decision to perform a karyotype in suspected DSD are unclear.Aim: To explore the SGAN register to study the factors that influence the decision to perform a karyotype. Variables examined included centre of presentation, examination findings and associated...