Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Many problems hinder the diagnostic and therapeutic approach of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in developing countries. The lack of early diagnosis and adequate treatment have adverse consequences, especially the small final height with the resulting psychological impact. Our study examined 40 cases of GHD who received treatment by recombinant human Growth Hormone (rhGH).Patients and methods: This is a retrospective longitudinal study of 4...

Introduction: GH deficiency (GHD) is a rare etiology of late growth. Its exact prevalence is unknown in emerging countries such as Tunisia. Despite a very suggestive clinical presentation, the diagnosis of GHD remains difficult and relatively late in some patients. Our study examined 40 cases of GHD in the Sahel region of Tunisia.Patients and methods: This is a retrospective longitudinal study of 40 cases of GHD collected in the pediatric department of M...

Objectives: GH in addition to promote linear growth during childhood influences several key metabolic processes as well. In the transition period, from late adolescence to early adulthood, GH plays an important role in skeletal mineralization and muscle mass maturation as well as in developing a favorable cardiometabolic profile. Therefore, several lines of evidence propose GH replacement to be continued if GH evaluation at the transition age fulfills established criteria. The...

UPD is a congenital disease characterized by the presence of two homologous chromosomes inherited from one parent in a diploid offspring. Its effects can be dramatic when the expression of essential genes is lacking. This is due to a phenomenon known as genomic imprinting where only one of the two chromosomal copies is active, depending on the parent of origin. Maternal uniparental disomy of the chromosome 14 (UPD 14 mat) is a rare disorder characterized by prenatal a...

Somatotropin is essential not only for linear growth but also for important metabolic functions. Its deficiency is usually the first and most common endocrinopathy induced by cancer disease and its treatments, mainly cranial irradiation. Although somatotropin replacement therapy is safe and effective in promoting a better linear growth, studies of final height in childhood cancer survivors treated with somatotropin are limited. This study was performed to examine growth outcom...