This program was beneficial for 75% of patients who demonstrated an improvement in their metabolic control the year following transition to adult care service. To our knowledge, this study is the first one in North Africa to report on the outcome of a structured transition program from pediatric to adult diabetes care.

Background For chronic congenital endocrine conditions, age at diagnosis is a key issue with implications for optimal management and psychological concerns. These conditions are associated with an increase in the risk of comorbid conditions, particularly as  it concerns growth, pubertal development and fertility potential. Clinical presentation and severity depend on the disorder and the patient’s age, but diagnosis is often late. Objective To evaluate age at diagnosis for the most frequent congenital endocrine diseases affecting growth and/or development. Patients and Methods This observational cohort study included all patients (n = 4379) with well-defined chronic congenital endocrine diseases—non-acquired isolated growth hormone deficiency (IGHD), isolated congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (ICHH), ectopic neurohypophysis (NH), Turner syndrome (TS), McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS), complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS) and gonadal dysgenesis (GD)—included in the database of a single multisite reference center for rare endocrine growth and developmental disorders, over a period of 14 years. Patients with congenital hypothyroidism and adrenal hyperplasia were excluded as they are generally identified during neonatal screening. Results Median age at diagnosis depended on the disease: first year of life for GD, before the age of five years for ectopic NH and MAS, 8–10 years for IGHD, TS (11% diagnosed antenatally) and CAIS and 17.4 years for ICHH. One third of the patients were diagnosed before the age of five years. Diagnosis occurred in adulthood in 22% of cases for CAIS, 11.6% for TS, 8.8% for GD, 0.8% for ectopic NH, and 0.4% for IGHD. A male predominance (2/3) was observed for IGHD, ectopic NH, ICHH and GD. Conclusion The early recognition of growth/developmental failure during childhood is essential, to reduce time-to-diagnosis and improve outcomes.

Background: Short stature is a common reason for referral to pediatric endocrinology clinics. It may be a manifestation of a pathological condition requiring early treatment. The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics and etiologies of short stature among children referred to the pediatric endocrinology clinic of the main pediatric tertiary care center in Tunisia. Methods: Retrospective and descriptive study in the endocrinology unit of children referred for short stature between January 2012 and December 2016. Data on the patients' medical history, physical findings, laboratory tests, bone age and chromosomal analysis were collected. Results: 470 children (266 males and 204 females) were referred during that period. 214 (45.5%) had normal height, and 80.8% of them were referred by general practitioners. The other 256 children (54.5%) had a confirmed short stature (mean age :7.2 years, mean height: -2.77 SDS). Endocrinological causes were the most common(43% GHD, 4% hypothyroidism) followed by intrauterine growth retardation IUGR (24%), genetic syndromes (8.4%), chronic pediatric diseases (7.8%), skeletal dysplasia (6.2%), normal variant of short stature (5%), and psychosocial deprivation (1.2%). Among non-endocrine causes, Turner syndrome was the most common genetic syndrome (4.4%), achondroplasia the main skeletal dysplasia (4%) and celiac disease the main chronic disease (3.4%). Conclusions: ST is largely overestimated in our country. Therefore, it is important to insist on adequate measurement and analysis of growth parameters to avoid unnecessary investigations. GHD and IUGR were the most common causes. Celiac disease, though frequent in Tunisia, is not a common cause of short stature.