Pediatric Endocrinology in Missouri, Columbia

With the pediatric endocrinologist consult with a wide range of problems:

• Thyroid disease;
• Overweight, obesity;
• Diabetes (1st and 2nd class);
• Adrenal disease;
• Hypothyroidism;
• Metabolic syndrome;
• Diseases of the parathyroid glands;
• Delayed growth and physical development;
• Precocious puberty (girls under 8 years old and boys up to 9 years);
• Delayed sexual development (in girls older than 13.5 years and boys over 14 years old);
• Menstrual disorders;
• Excessive pigmentation of the skin;
• Stretch marks on the skin;
• Problems associated with insufficient intake of iodine, etc.

When you need to refer to a pediatric endocrinologist?

• If your baby was born with a weight of more than 4 kg, or quickly gaining weight;
• If the child at birth weighed less than 2850g., Or with low birth weight (hypotrophy);
• If a child has a delay of growth or tall;
• In case of violation of carbohydrate metabolism in the child, the appearance of sugar in the urine or increased blood sugar levels, - it can manifest thirst and copious urination;
• If a child is obese (need to first to rule out endocrine causes of obesity);
• In case of violation of sexual development - the premature appearance of secondary sex characteristics (growth of breast glands, hair growth on the genitals, and in the armpit, the appearance of a sharp smell of sweat, accelerated linear growth of a child up to 8 years), and delayed sexual development - after 12 -14 years of age;
• If you suspect a disease of the thyroid gland and parathyroid glands, the main features of which are: enlargement of the thyroid gland, weakness, a rapid rise or unreasonable weight loss, skin changes, hair loss, brittle nails, recurrent bone fractures, menstrual disorders in girls, memory impairment, decline in school performance, reduced growth rate, chilliness, predilection to constipations;
• Thyroid disease - congenital and acquired hypothyroidism, Graves' disease, autoimmune thyroiditis, nodular goiter, Hypoparathyroidism, hyperparathyroidism;
• Adrenal disease.

Thyroid disease is very dangerous for children. For example, when long-term hypothyroidism suffer all organs and systems, and first of all - the brain, that affects the mental development of the child, the level of his intelligence and ability to learn.

Diabetes mellitus in the child: the sooner performed diagnosis and started treatment, the more chances of avoiding serious complications. Preventive medical examination, regular tests can help timely diagnosis the disease and start effective treatment.

Home study for suspected diabetes in children - a blood test for sugar. Thus the real level of glucose in the blood can be determined only on the background of health since any disease can distort the data. Blood tests need to take fasting.

If necessary, an endocrinologist appoint additional research: ultrasound, biochemical analyzes, blood and urine tests for hormones, color Doppler mapping. All this will help to clarify the state of the endocrine system, and choose the most effective and careful treatment.