Consultation of the pediatric endocrinologist

First year of life

Parents should not passively wait for a referral from the district therapist. Consultation of a pediatric endocrinologist is not an obligatory measure. The therapist will give direction only according to the indications. But often obvious signs of violations in the functioning of the organs of internal secretion are manifested when the problem is already "ingrained" in the body. Therefore, the sooner you consult an endocrinologist, the better. Endocrinologists themselves advise the first time to visit a specialized specialist at the age of one's child.

Identify some violations of the dad with his mother can independently. From an early age, you need to pay attention to growth and weight. At one-year age, the benchmarks should be at the level of 75 centimeters and 10 kilograms. Parents should be alarmed by a marked deviation from these figures, independently in greater or less. Do not panic. Most babies develop individually. But in order to exclude possible problems, an endocrinologist's consultation will be required.

The second year of life

A two-year-old baby may have problems if he has not grown in a year by 4.5 centimeters. There is a suspicion of a deficiency in the body of a child's growth hormone. It is also necessary to monitor the correct arrangement of the genital organs in children. A boy, for example, from birth in the scrotum should have exactly two eggs, not one. And do not take chances - they say, in due course there will be as many as needed. If you do nothing, on the contrary, one testicle can remain. Visit a child's doctor must be sure!

Diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus has ceased to be a disease of the elderly. Increasingly, this terrible disease affects children. It is known that diabetes mellitus has become a mass disease and is a consequence of thyroid dysfunction. The reason for visiting a pediatric endocrinologist should be the fact that a child often quenches his thirst for no apparent reason. At the same time the child still eats poorly and looks weak. It is important not to miss the time - the endocrinologist will determine the course of treatment based on the results of a blood test( urine) for sugar. The inconsistency of parents in this can lead to more dangerous complications in the functioning of the heart, kidneys or blood vessels.

Thyroid

An enlarged thyroid gland is a common problem in modern children. The reasons were stacked on each other: the release of radiation elements after Chernobyl and other man-made accidents, poor ecology, lack of iodine in local products. The most important value is obtained by a properly selected diet. It's unlikely that parents will calculate it on their own. In compiling a menu, taking into account the individual characteristics of the child, an endocrinologist is useful.

Experts advise not just to include more iodine in the diet, but to change the way of life of children. It is necessary to be more often in the open air and actively move. Such simple measures will allow the child to burn extra calories and simultaneously grow without a set of extra grams of weight. Food should be balanced, where proteins, fats, carbohydrates are present in beneficial proportions. The indisputable requirement of endocrinologists is the exclusion of sweet soda, any sausage products, especially fast food.

Replenishment of iodine deficiency

All of us - adults and children - have iodine deficiency in their bodies. Its need for a child's organism in the age of 10-12 years is 100 micrograms per day. Older children and adults need 150-200 mcg. This is the amount of iodine our traditional food does not contain. That is, so that we do not eat, iodine in the body will always be insufficient. This is why the law on compulsory iodization of salt has long been adopted in Europe.

On domestic shelves, iodized salt is also on sale. Previously, the technology of salt iodine saturation was antediluvian. During storage and cooking, this microelement quickly collapsed. Today, the newest technologies of salt saturation with iodine are used, which allows to retain this element even with prolonged heat treatment of food. Iodine, as before, does not erode.

Of course, this does not mean that you need to eat iodized salt with spoons. We must understand that the surplus of iodine is no less dangerous. Significant deficiency of iodine in the body successfully overcome drugs containing potassium iodide, such, for example, as Jodomarin. Modern preparations have such a formula that the excess of iodine does not accumulate, but is eliminated from the body.

The thyroid gland responsible for the health of the endocrine system is not capable of producing its hormones without iodine. Therefore, iodine-containing drugs should not be consumed only by children. But their mothers are still at the stage of pregnancy with their children and at the stage of breastfeeding after their birth. But it is the doctor of the endocrinologist who must determine the degree of iodine deficiency, prescribe dosage and medications for treatment, or recommend prophylactic measures.