title: Transition to the adult endocrine clinic: testing pituitary function - what tests and when?
abstract: The preferred method(s) and timing for retesting of the growth hormone (GH) axis in young adults with childhood-onset GH deficiency during the transition period are less well characterized than those for children and older adults. Retesting of other hypothalamic-pituitary axes for which replacement therapy had (e.g., thyroid hormone) or had not been (e.g., glucocorticoids and sex steroids) initiated in childhood also requires periodic reassessment. The transition period in children with hypopituitarism also represents the time for initiation of plans for transfer of care to an internist-endocrinologist with expertise in the management of hypothalamic-pituitary disease in young adults.
authors.affiliation: Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 4650 Sunset Blvd., Mailstop #61, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA. mgeffner@chla.usc.edu
authors.forename: Mitchell E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Geffner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000172:deficiency*; D006801:Humans; D007018:Hypopituitarism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D019382:Human Growth Hormone