Pediatric endocrinology
Encyclopedia
Pediatric endocrinology
(British
: Paediatric) is a medical subspecialty dealing with variations of physical growth
and sexual development in childhood, as well as diabetes and other disorders of the endocrine glands.
By age, pediatric endocrinologists, depending upon the age range of the patients they treat, care for patients from infancy to late adolescence and young adulthood.
By disease, the most common disease of the specialty is type 1 diabetes, which usually accounts for at least 50% of a typical clinical practice. The next most common problem is growth disorders, especially those amenable to growth hormone treatment
. Pediatric endocrinologists are usually the primary physicians involved in the medical care of infants and children with intersex
disorders. The specialty also deals with hypoglycemia
and other forms of hyperglycemia in childhood, variations of puberty
, as well other adrenal, thyroid
, and pituitary problems. Many pediatric endocrinologists have interests and expertise in bone metabolism, lipid metabolism, adolescent gynecology, or inborn errors of metabolism.
In the United States and Canada, pediatric endocrinology is a subspecialty of the American Board of Pediatrics, with board certification following fellowship training. It is a relatively small and primarily cognitive specialty, with few procedures and an emphasis on diagnostic evaluation.
Most pediatric endocrinologists in North America and many from around the world can trace their professional genealogy to Lawson Wilkins
, who pioneered the specialty in the pediatrics department of Johns Hopkins Medical School and the Harriet Lane Home in Baltimore in between the late 1940's and the mid-1960's.
The principal North American professional association was originally named the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society http://www.lwpes.org, now re-named the Pediatruic Endocrine Society. Other longstanding pediatric endocrine associations include the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology, the British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology, the Australasian Paediatric Endocrine Group and the Japanese Society for Pediatric Endocrinology. Professional associations of the specialty continue to proliferate.
Training for pediatric endocrinology consists of a 2-3 year fellowship following completion of a 3 year pediatrics residency. The fellowship, and the specialty, are heavily research-oriented and academically based, although less exclusively now than in past decades.
Endocrinology
Endocrinology is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions called hormones, the integration of developmental events such as proliferation, growth, and differentiation and the coordination of...
(British
British English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
: Paediatric) is a medical subspecialty dealing with variations of physical growth
Human development (biology)
Human development is the process of growing to maturity. In biological terms, this entails growth from a one-celled zygote to an adult human being.- Biological development:...
and sexual development in childhood, as well as diabetes and other disorders of the endocrine glands.
By age, pediatric endocrinologists, depending upon the age range of the patients they treat, care for patients from infancy to late adolescence and young adulthood.
By disease, the most common disease of the specialty is type 1 diabetes, which usually accounts for at least 50% of a typical clinical practice. The next most common problem is growth disorders, especially those amenable to growth hormone treatment
Growth hormone treatment
Growth hormone treatment refers to the use of growth hormone in medical treatment. Growth hormone is a peptide hormone secreted by the pituitary gland that stimulates growth and cell reproduction. In the past, growth hormone was extracted from human pituitary glands. GH is now produced by...
. Pediatric endocrinologists are usually the primary physicians involved in the medical care of infants and children with intersex
Intersex
Intersex, in humans and other animals, is the presence of intermediate or atypical combinations of physical features that usually distinguish female from male...
disorders. The specialty also deals with hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia or hypoglycæmia is the medical term for a state produced by a lower than normal level of blood glucose. The term literally means "under-sweet blood"...
and other forms of hyperglycemia in childhood, variations of puberty
Puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...
, as well other adrenal, thyroid
Thyroid
The thyroid gland or simply, the thyroid , in vertebrate anatomy, is one of the largest endocrine glands. The thyroid gland is found in the neck, below the thyroid cartilage...
, and pituitary problems. Many pediatric endocrinologists have interests and expertise in bone metabolism, lipid metabolism, adolescent gynecology, or inborn errors of metabolism.
In the United States and Canada, pediatric endocrinology is a subspecialty of the American Board of Pediatrics, with board certification following fellowship training. It is a relatively small and primarily cognitive specialty, with few procedures and an emphasis on diagnostic evaluation.
Most pediatric endocrinologists in North America and many from around the world can trace their professional genealogy to Lawson Wilkins
Lawson Wilkins
-References:...
, who pioneered the specialty in the pediatrics department of Johns Hopkins Medical School and the Harriet Lane Home in Baltimore in between the late 1940's and the mid-1960's.
The principal North American professional association was originally named the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society http://www.lwpes.org, now re-named the Pediatruic Endocrine Society. Other longstanding pediatric endocrine associations include the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology, the British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology, the Australasian Paediatric Endocrine Group and the Japanese Society for Pediatric Endocrinology. Professional associations of the specialty continue to proliferate.
Training for pediatric endocrinology consists of a 2-3 year fellowship following completion of a 3 year pediatrics residency. The fellowship, and the specialty, are heavily research-oriented and academically based, although less exclusively now than in past decades.
External links
- Video of Pediatric Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma presented at the UW-Madison Health Sciences Learning Center by Geoffrey B. Thompson, MD, professor of surgery at Mayo Clinic.