Pediatric Endocrinology – Focused Towards the Growth of Healthy Children

Right from finding the best school to providing the latest gadgets, designer clothes and dishing out nutritious recipes, parents leave no stone unturned to give their children the best of everything. The new-age parents invest a lot of their time, effort and money in their child’s education and well-being. Children are blooming buds who need extra care and attention during their transitional stage from childhood to adulthood.

To make sure your child blossoms into a healthy adult, be on guard when you notice any abnormalities in your child’s development stage like your child is growing or developing too slowly or too fast or has either started gaining or losing excess weight. In case of any such symptoms, visit a pediatric endocrinologist.

A pediatric endocrinologist is a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating various hormone-related disorders, like growth disorders or diabetes, in your child. Shalby Hospitals in Ahmedabad offers endocrinology treatment in a setting specially designed for children.

Before we delve deeper into the different causes and conditions a pediatric endocrinologist can treat, let us first understand what pediatric endocrinology is all about and its significance.

What is Pediatric Endocrinology?

The endocrine system consists of various glands that produce and release hormones. These hormones are chemical messengers poured by the glands into the blood and carried to different organs to regulate certain vital body functions of growth, puberty and metabolism.

When these glands become overactive or underactive, they create hormonal imbalances and lead to varied issues like growth and pubertal disorders, abnormalities of thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal glands, obesity and diabetes, disorders of bone mineral metabolism, and other hormonal issues.

Pediatric endocrinology is a dedicated branch of medicine that focuses on treating endocrine system-related disorders and helping children grow without physical or psychological problems.

Just like adults, children have special needs related to their development. A pediatric endocrinologist caters to their specific requirements sensitively, identifies the hormonal disorders and provides comprehensive care to rectify them.

Let’s discuss in detail the red flag signs to consult a pediatric endocrinologist for timely diagnosis and treatment:

Is your child the shortest one in his class? This condition can be genetic or due to a deficiency of growth hormone. When the pituitary gland is damaged and does not function optimally, it does not make enough growth hormones. In such cases, kids and teens grow less than 2 inches (5 centimeters) a year. Make an appointment with the best endocrinologist in Ahmedabad for growth hormone therapy that further prevents stunting.

Hormonal abnormalities like growth hormone deficiency, thyroid hormone deficiency and excessive release of stress hormone cortisol can lead to weight gain in kids and teens. If the drastic increase in weight is not treated at the right time, it can lead to various comorbidities like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, PCOS, metabolic syndrome, abnormal lipid profile, various psychological and behavioural issues, etc.

PCOS is widely prevalent in India particularly among the young obese girls and is the most common causes of future infertility if not treated earlier.

Get the right treatment from the doctor specialized in endocrinology treatment to avoid health risks due to obesity. Shalby Hospital provides holistic care for PCOS with trained dieticians, trained physiotherapist and with gynaecologist.

When pancreas- a gland organ in the abdomen does not produce enough insulin, it leads to type 1 diabetes. Insulin is a hormone needed to help glucose move from the bloodstream into cells to produce energy. Without enough insulin, glucose gets stuck in the bloodstream causing high blood glucose levels.

This condition is more common among children, adolescents and young adults. If pediatric type 1 diabetes is not treated, it leads to a life-threatening condition called diabetic ketoacidosis resulting from excessive accumulation of ketoacids in the body.

Elaborating more on this condition, Dr. Manoj Agrawal, Consultant Endocrinologist at Shalby Hospital, Ahmedabad, said, “For the management of type 1 diabetes, a comprehensive approach is a key mantra. Every person with type 1 diabetes can have a normal & healthy diet and can achieve their athletic and educational goals.
For the same, we have a comprehensive team including endocrinologists, dieticians, physiotherapists and an insulin counsellor.

At Shalby Hospital, Ahmedabad, we provide modern care for diabetes management like insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitoring systems and intermittent glucose monitoring systems.”

Puberty is when a person attains maturity and undergoes various emotional and physical changes. Girls hit puberty around the age of 8 to 13 and boys around the age of 9 to 14. However, due to hormonal disturbances, puberty begins too early in some children which is called precocious puberty.

Dr. Manoj Agarwal has good experience treating this kind of puberty-related challenging cases. He said, “Now, in the modern era, precocious puberty is increasing dramatically in girls all over India, particularly after COVID-19. Early puberty is not just about getting menarche or breast development earlier but it affects a child’s psychology, social stigma and most importantly this condition causes height compromise in girls due to early bone fusion.”

Sometimes puberty gets delayed which is called delayed puberty. In such conditions, the pituitary gland or the thyroid gland that regulates the body’s metabolism is not functioning properly. Adolescents with delayed puberty have underdeveloped secondary sexual traits like underdeveloped breasts in girls and the testicles not growing larger in boys. In such cases, one should visit an endocrinology hospital for proper diagnosis and treatment.

1.  Type 1 Diabetes
2.  Hypoglycemia
3.  Adrenal disorders and tumor
4.  Rickets
5.  Recurrent fracture
6.  Long term endocrine issues of cancer
7.  Thyroid Disorders including Goitre (enlarged thyroid gland)

Our pediatric endocrinology clinic is equipped with the latest diagnostic tools and provides comprehensive treatment to ensure your child grows physically and psychologically healthy and strong. India is home to over 444 million children and it is rightly said that healthy children build healthy nations.

Our expert doctor offers comprehensive pediatric diabetes treatment along with treatment of other hormonal disorders in children to ensure that every child climbs the ladder of growth happily and healthily.