Pediatric endocrinologists are specialized doctors who treat children with disorders of the endocrine system, including diabetes, thyroid issues, and growth and development problems. Their training involves 10 years of education after medical school, and they may prescribe medication or recommend surgery to address imbalances. They typically work in association with larger hospitals in urban areas.
A pediatric endocrinologist is a pediatrician, trained specifically to care for children. These doctors are also endocrinologists, which is a specialty more concerned with the endocrine system. It includes things like the thyroid gland, pituitary gland and pancreas, just to name a few. When these two studies are brought together, the pediatric endocrinologist becomes a physician who treats children with disorders of the endocrine system.
The training for this doctor is rigorous. Pediatrics is already a specialized practice and pediatric endocrinology is a subspecialty. When physicians finish medical school, they must study pediatrics in residency for 3 years. They will need to study endocrinology for another 3 years. That means ten years of education after a person earns a bachelor’s degree or a total of 14 years of training after high school to become a pediatric endocrinologist.
There are many different reasons why children may need to see a pediatric endocrinologist. Most children with type I diabetes are under the care of these specialists. Pediatric endocrinologists may also treat children with faulty thyroid function or other conditions that can affect growth and development. Dysfunction of sex hormones that leads to early or late puberty or the failure of puberty to occur is another area of concern for these physicians. These physicians may also see patients with short stature, ambiguous genitalia, or vitamin D deficiency.
Often, the pediatric endocrinologist’s job is to determine which hormones or other elements are absent from the body or present in too large a supply. The ways to resolve these deficits or oversupply can be variable. When things like blood tests determine imbalances, doctors can prescribe medication to address the problem. Sometimes they also prescribe other treatments, such as surgery. For example, removing excessive thyroid glands can help to properly treat hyperthyroidism. The endocrinologist would then help the patient by finding the correct thyroid hormone supplementation to take for life after surgery.
Pediatric endocrinologists do not normally perform surgery, although they may choose to be present during surgeries on their patients when necessary. Mostly, this specialty works out of practice in conjunction with a larger hospital or they may work privately. These doctors are not available in large numbers, people may need a referral to see one, and may have to travel to get to the city where they work. Most of the time, these doctors work in association with larger hospitals in urban areas. With this specialty mastered, some physicians may decide to take jobs in education or research and may not see patients.
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