Pediatric Endocrinology Elective

Course Overview

The goal of this elective is to expose the student to a wide variety of pediatric endocrine disorders.

Learn about the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology.

Learning Objectives

• Normal growth patterns for infants, children and adolescents. The student will become familiar with the differential diagnosis of disturbances of growth. The student will become familiar with hormones that influence growth rates, such as growth hormone, thyroid hormone, glucocorticoid, and hormone sex steroids. Finally, the student will become familiar with modes of administration, indications, and potential side effects of growth-promoting therapy.
• Become familiar with the physiology of the posterior pituitary, with specific attention to the role of vasopressin. The differential diagnosis of diabetes insipidus will be discussed, as well as the modes of therapy.
• Role and regulation of thyroid hormone. Thyroid function tests will be discussed, along with tests for the integrity of the hypothalamic pituitary thyroid axis. The differential diagnosis of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism and the various forms of therapy will be discussed. The student will be taught how to recognize signs and symptoms of thyroid disease. Didactic sessions will be devoted to exposing the student to the broad range of phenotypic findings in thyroid disease.
• Diabetes. Etiology, genetics, and pathogenesis of Type I and Type 2 diabetes will be discussed. The diagnosis and treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis will also be discussed. The inpatient and outpatient management of diabetes will be carefully reviewed. The long-term outcome of diabetes in children as well as future directions will be reviewed.
• Disorders of the adrenal cortex. The pathophysiology of disorders of adrenal steroidogenesis resulting in congenital adrenal hyperplasia will be discussed. Biochemical and clinical features of each of the disorders will be discussed. The signs and symptoms, laboratory tests and treatment for Cushing syndrome and Addison disease will be reviewed.
• Disorders of pubertal development. Normal variations in developmental patterns and abnormal pubertal development (early or delayed) will be discussed. Tanner staging will be carefully reviewed. The effect of excess or deficient adrenal or gonadal steroids will be reviewed.
• Disorders of sexual development in the newborn infant. Normal sexual differentiation will be reviewed, followed by a discussion of gonadal or chromosomal disorders of sexual differentiation and their biochemical and phenotypic consequences.
• Parathyroid and vitamin D-related disorders. Parathyroid physiology will be discussed and clinical entities including hypoparathyroidism and hypocalcemia or hyperparathyroidism will be discussed, along with their modes of therapy. 

Schedule of Activities

Students will participate in all inpatient and outpatient pediatric endocrine activities. The students will participate in outpatient endocrine clinics on two half-days per week and pediatric diabetes clinics on one full day per week, as well as journal clubs and clinical conferences. The student will act as the primary source for all consultative and inpatient clinical work.

Required Reading

Selected chapters in Clinical Pediatric Endocrinology, 2nd Ed., Editor: Solomon A. Kaplan, and additional reading material is supplied by the preceptors.

Student Evaluations

The preceptor writes an evaluation of the student. It is based on an assessment of fund of knowledge, acquisition of new knowledge, and improvement in reasoning ability and over.