Endo-ERN webinar: Prader-willi syndrome

On Tuesday September 29th at 17:00 – 18:00 CET an Endo-ERN webinar about “How multidisciplinary care and growth hormone treatment can improve the health of children with Prader-Willi syndrome” will be held by Prof. dr. & ESPE president Anita Hokken from Erasmus MC: University Medical Center Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare disorder characterized by hypotonia, hyperphagia, obesity, mild to moderate developmental delay, behavioral problems, hypogonadism and short stature. Its incidence is estimated between 1:15,000-1:30,000 live births. PWS is caused by the absence of paternally expressed genes on chromosome 15q11-q13, due mainly to a paternal deletion or a maternal disomy.

Growth hormone (GH) treatment in children with PWS improves body composition, physical strength, energy expenditure and growth and has a positive effect on cognitive functioning. The most important reason for treating these children with GH is to optimize their body composition; without GH treatment, body composition deteriorates over time, in many cases leading to morbid obesity.

This webinar presents the changing clinical characteristics of PWS during childhood and how the combination of multidiciplinary care, a healthy life style and GH treatment can improve the health and life of children with PWS .