Pediatric Endocrinology

Why Choose Ochsner Children's for Pediatric Endocrinology Care?

At Ochsner Children’s Hospital, the Ochsner team is passionate about treating the whole child, not just the condition. The compassionate team of specialists understands that children with endocrine disorders — problems related to the hormones — face not just physical but emotional challenges as well, and they are dedicated to helping kids of all ages live their best lives. Ochsner Children's program is also certified by the American Diabetes Association, which means it meets the national organization’s high standards of care.

Working collaboratively, Ochsner's experienced pediatric endocrinology team develops personalized treatment plans for every child, including those with pediatric diabetes and rare and complex conditions. The team at Ochsner Children's includes board-certified, fellowship-trained pediatric endocrinologists, experienced nurse practitioners and endocrinology nurses, diabetes nurse educators, registered dietitians, psychologists, and social workers. Families can meet with every member of the team at multidisciplinary diabetes clinics that take place twice per month, allowing them to see multiple specialists in one visit.

Ochsner Children's offers comprehensive care for a variety of endocrine disorders in children and adolescents. This includes issues with the pituitary gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, adrenal glands, pancreas and gonads (testicles and ovaries). These glands produce hormones that help your child grow and develop as they get older. The most common conditions treated at Ochsner Children's include:

Bone disorders. The pediatric endocrinology team works together with the pediatric orthopedic department to offer a clinic for children with bone and mineral disorders that can impact children’s bone development, growth and strength.
Diabetes. Ochsner Children's treats children with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, as well as prediabetes. With Type 1 diabetes, the child’s pancreas doesn’t make insulin, preventing the body from using glucose. With Type 2 diabetes, cells don’t respond to insulin the way they should. This condition develops most often in adults, but it can also occur in older children and teens.
Dyslipidemia. Diet, genetics or tobacco exposure can cause this condition, which is an imbalance of cholesterol, high- and/or low-density lipoproteins and cholesterol.
Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome. Previously called polycystic ovary syndrome, this common female hormone disorder can cause excess body hair, acne, problems with the menstrual cycle and other symptoms.
Puberty problems. Children can experience delayed puberty, which means the changes of puberty haven’t started by age 14. Early puberty, also called precocious puberty, occurs when signs of puberty begin before ages 7 or 8 in girls and before age 9 in boys.

The team at Ochsner Children's also treats a variety of less common and rare conditions, including:

Amenorrhea — irregular menstrual cycles
Adrenal gland disorders — when the glands make too much or not enough hormones
Disorders of sexual differentiation — conditions that occur when sex organs don’t develop as they normally would
Hypoglycemia — low blood glucose
Pituitary gland disorders — develop when the pituitary gland is too active or not active enough
Short stature and problems with growth
Thyroid disorders
Turner syndrome — a chromosomal condition affecting females

At Ochsner, the team of specialists offers the latest treatments for diabetes and other pediatric endocrine conditions. For children with diabetes, Ochsner's specialists also perform point-of-care testing to check A1C levels in the clinic and provide immediate results and feedback on your child’s progress. Patients also have access to the most advanced treatments through clinical trials for diabetes and other conditions.

Ochsner Children's offers additional support services to ensure you and your child have all the tools you need to help them live a healthy and successful life. These include: