title: Endocrine check-up in adolescents and indications for referral: A guide for health care providers.
abstract: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that young people between the ages of 11 and 21 years should be seen annually by their pediatricians, since annual checkups can be an important opportunity for health evaluation and anticipatory guidance. Parents of infants and young children are accustomed to regularly visiting a pediatrician for their child's checkups. Unfortunately, when children reach the teen years, these annual checkups may decrease in frequency. In routine check-ups and medical office visits, particular attention should be paid to the possibility of a developmental or endocrine disorder. Early diagnosis and treatment may prevent medical complications in adulthood and foster age-appropriate development. Our purpose is to acquaint readers with the concept, based on current scientific understanding, that some endocrine disorders may be associated with a wide range of deleterious health consequences including an increased risk of hypertension and hyperlipidemia, increased risk of coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes, significant anxiety and lack of self-esteem. Understanding the milestones and developmental stages of adolescence is essential for pediatricians and all other health providers who care for adolescents. Treating adolescents involves knowledge of a variety of medical, social and legal information; in addition, close working relationships must be established within the adolescent's network to create an effective care system. In summary, we underline the importance of a periodic endocrine checkup in adolescents in order to identify endocrine problems early and develop an approach to treatment for those patients who need help during this time. Indications for endocrine referral for professional and other healthcare providers are also included. These lists are clearly not intended to be comprehensive, but will hopefully serve as a guide for specific clinical circumstances.
authors.affiliation: Quisisana Hospital, Pediatric and Adolescent Outpatient Clinic, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: De Sanctis
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology, Alexandria University Children's Hospital, Alexandria, USA.
authors.forename: Ashraf T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Soliman
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, NYU School of Medicine, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Bernadette
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fiscina
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Heba
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Elsedfy
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Health Care, AbuNakhla Hospital, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Rania
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Elalaily
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Alamal Hospital, Hamad Medical Center, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yassin
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology, Paedi Center for Specialized Pediatrics, St George's University Medical School at the University of Nicosia, Cyprus, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Skordis
authors.affiliation: Emeritus Consultant in Pediatrics, Santobono-Pausilipon Hospital, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Di Maio
authors.affiliation: President of Quisisana Hospital, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Piacentini
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mohamed El
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Kholy
keywords: Adolescent medicine; check-up; endocrine disorders; health care