B.C. Endocrine Research, Vancouver, BC

Pediatric endocrinology is the subspecialty of pediatrics that deal with hormone-related conditions and diseases in infants, children and adolescents. Adults are often surprised to learn that children can have endocrine disorders, thinking that hormone problems are restricted to moody teens and adults with fatigue. In fact, children are subject to a number of hormone-related conditions that may be limited to the newborn period, to the growth years, or to puberty. As well, most of the hormone conditions treated by adult endocrinologists can also occur in children, although many of these are much less common in childhood.
In most pediatric endocrinology clinics, about 50% of all patients carry the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, previously called insulin-dependent or juvenile-onset diabetes. This condition occurs in about 1 in 500 children under the age of 18 years, although it can appear at any age. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the body's immune system mistakenly destroys the beta cells of the pancreas, which normally produce insulin. As a result, these children have little or no insulin to control their blood sugar. The only treatment is by administering insulin injections 2-4 times a day. As well, they must perform blood sugar testing 3-4 times a day by fingerpoke and pay careful attention to the diabetic meal plan and to their activity. It is hoped that in the future, beta-cell transplants or an "artificial pancreas" will be developed to offer affected individuals a permanent cure. In the meantime, these children live with a chronic illness that requires ongoing attention from the diabetes health care team (pediatric endocrinologists, diabetes nurse educators, nutritionists and counsellors). The Endocrinology & Diabetes Unit at British Columbia's Children's Hospital follows some 1, 000 children with type 1 diabetes.