title: The need for specialized adolescence units.
abstract: Adolescence is the period of life of transition from childhood to adulthood; it includes not only sexual maturation but also physical and psychological maturation. The chronological age when this transition occurs is imprecise and not exactly defined. There are specific diseases that appear during this period of life that deserve specialized medical care. This article deals with the need to create specialized adolescence units with the direct participation of pediatricians. The transition through adolescence into adulthood is complicated by physical, psychological and social issues, and the transfer of adolescent patients to adult departments should be done gradually. There is a need for consensus guidelines about this issue.
authors.affiliation: Diabetes and Endocrinology Unit, Children's Hospital Miguel Servet, Zaragoza, Spain. mrodriguezri@salud.aragob.es
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Labarta
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent / Q000502:physiology*; D016497:Adolescent Health Services / Q000941:ethics*; D006757:Hospital Units / Q000941:ethics*; D006801:Humans; D009626:Terminology as Topic