{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,8]],"date-time":"2026-06-08T04:58:54Z","timestamp":1780894734462,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,8]],"date-time":"2026-06-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780876800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Endocrinol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    Acquired hypothalamic obesity (aHO) is a rare and severe condition caused by injury to hypothalamic centers regulating appetite, energy balance, and neuroendocrine function. It is characterized by rapid weight gain, hyperphagia, and significant metabolic complications, and current treatment options remain limited. We report the case of a 22-month-old child who developed severe acquired hypothalamic obesity following neonatal\n                    <jats:italic>Escherichia coli<\/jats:italic>\n                    sepsis complicated by meningoencephalitis and brain abscess. Treatment with the melanocortin-4 receptor agonist setmelanotide was initiated at 0.25 mg daily and gradually titrated to 1.5 mg. Over 13 months of treatment, the patient experienced stabilization and a subsequent reduction in body weight, improvement in liver enzymes and lipid profile, increased motor activity, and marked improvements in interaction and quality of life. The most pronounced clinical response occurred at doses \u22651.25 mg daily. This case represents, to our knowledge, the youngest reported patient treated with setmelanotide and the first case of inflammation-related acquired hypothalamic obesity treated with this therapy. These findings suggest that setmelanotide may represent a promising therapeutic strategy for selected patients with acquired hypothalamic obesity beyond currently approved genetic indications.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fendo.2026.1796227","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,8]],"date-time":"2026-06-08T04:23:29Z","timestamp":1780892609000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Case Report: Effect of setmelanotide treatment in a young patient with acquired hypothalamic obesity following Escherichia coli sepsis and meningoencephalitis with brain abscess"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Hajar","family":"Dauleh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Endocrinology, Department of Pediatric Medicine","place":["Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Khalid","family":"Hussain","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Endocrinology, Department of Pediatric Medicine","place":["Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar"]},{"name":"Department of Endocrinology, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar","place":["Doha, Qatar"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/dom.15530","article-title":"Acquired hypothalamic obesity: a clinical overview and update","volume":"26","author":"Roth","year":"2024","journal-title":"Diabetes Obes Metab"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S2213-8587(24)00283-3","article-title":"Hypothalamic obesity: from basic mechanisms to clinical perspectives","volume":"13","author":"Argente","year":"2025","journal-title":"Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S2213-8587(22)00360-6","article-title":"Efficacy and safety of setmelanotide, a melanocortin-4 receptor agonist, in patients with Bardet\u2013Biedl syndrome and Alstr\u00f6m syndrome: a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial with an open-label period","volume":"10","author":"Haqq","year":"2022","journal-title":"Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S2213-8587(24)00087-1","article-title":"Setmelanotide for the treatment of acquired hypothalamic obesity: a phase 2, open-label, multicentre trial","volume":"12","author":"Roth","year":"2024","journal-title":"Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1210\/jendso\/bvaf149.074","article-title":"Efficacy and safety of setmelanotide in acquired hypothalamic obesity: results from a randomized phase 3 trial","volume":"9","author":"Phillips","year":"2025","journal-title":"J Endocr Soc"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S2213-8587(24)00273-0","article-title":"Setmelanotide in patients aged 2\u20135 years with rare MC4R pathway\u2013associated obesity (VENTURE): a 1-year open-label multicentre phase 3 trial","author":"Argente","year":"2025","journal-title":"Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1210\/endrev\/bnaf025","article-title":"Management of acquired hypothalamic dysfunction and obesity","volume":"46","author":"van Santen","year":"2025","journal-title":"Endocr Rev"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41572-022-00351-z","article-title":"Hypothalamic syndrome","volume":"8","author":"M\u00fcller","year":"2022","journal-title":"Nat Rev Dis Primers"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3171\/ped.2007.106.1.3","article-title":"Craniopharyngioma classification and hypothalamic involvement","volume":"106","author":"Puget","year":"2007","journal-title":"J Neurosurg"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1515\/jpem-2014-0512","article-title":"Hypothalamic obesity in children: pathophysiology and management","volume":"28","author":"Haliloglu","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1467-789X.2012.01004.x","article-title":"Hypothalamic obesity in children","volume":"13","author":"Bereket","year":"2012","journal-title":"Obes Rev"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"341\u201353","DOI":"10.1507\/endocrj.EJ25-0408","article-title":"Diagnostic criteria for acquired hypothalamic obesity - 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