Department of Pediatric Endocrinology - ATOS Clinic Heidelberg

About the Department of Pediatric Endocrinology at ATOS Clinic Heidelberg

The Department of Pediatric Endocrinology at the ATOS Clinic Heidelberg provides the full range of medical services in its area of ​​specialization. The department offers qualified medical care for young patients with hormonal imbalances, growth disorders, and diabetes mellitus. Of key interest is the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, adrenal glands, pituitary gland, and gonads. The specialists in the medical facility have exceptional competence in the treatment of growth and puberty disorders. They also advise young patients with syndromic diseases affecting the endocrine glands, for example, Ullrich-Turner syndrome and Klinefelter syndrome. The department has comfortable diagnostic rooms with modern ultrasound devices. The medical team of the department is focused on personalized medical care in a pleasant and comfortable environment for the child. Treatment follows the recommendations of the German Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine (DGKJ), the German Society for Endocrinology (DGE), and the German Diabetes Society (DDG). The Head Physician of the department is Dr. med. Sabine Knauer-Fischer.

Treatment of thyroid diseases in children is one of the priority clinical tasks of the department's endocrinologists. The specialists diagnose and treat young patients with congenital and acquired hypothyroidism, autoimmune thyroiditis, and diffuse toxic goiter almost every day. The therapeutic process begins with a full diagnosis, including a clinical examination, blood tests to assess thyroid hormone levels, and an ultrasound scan. A treatment regimen is always determined on an individual basis: hypothyroidism is treated with drug therapy using levothyroxine, a synthetic hormone that acts like thyroid thyroxine; young patients with autoimmune thyroiditis receive vitamins and microelements; for the treatment of diffuse toxic goiter, the department's specialists offer conservative treatment with thyreostatics (medications that block the thyroid gland), which reduces the production of thyroid hormones.

The department has extensive experience in the treatment of growth disorders in children, such as tall stature, short stature, and constitutional growth delay. When a growth disorder is suspected, the endocrinologist will find out the details of the pregnancy and the child's development, after which he or she will prescribe a set of laboratory and instrumental tests. If the growth disorder is caused by an impaired function of the endocrine system, the department's specialists carry out hormone replacement therapy. Growth disorders may occur against the background of other pathologies (for example, anemia, heart disease, bronchial asthma, diabetes mellitus, etc.). Such situations require the treatment of the underlying disease. Growth disorders are often caused by deficiency of nutrients, vitamins, and microelements. In such cases, no specific treatment is required. It is enough to adjust the diet to eliminate the deficiency.

An important focus for the department's pediatric endocrinologists is the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Children are most often diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, in which the pancreas does not produce the insulin needed to transport glucose into cells. Diabetes mellitus is often diagnosed during examinations for other pathologies. The main manifestations of diabetes mellitus in children are thirst, frequent urination, weight loss for no apparent reason, and constant weakness. Symptoms of diabetes mellitus are non-specific, so young patients most often go to the doctor with hyperglycemia. Diagnosis includes a clinical examination, a glucose test, and an HbA1c blood test to determine the average blood glucose levels over the past 3 months. The goal of treatment is to maintain normal blood glucose levels and prevent complications of diabetes mellitus. This requires self-monitoring of blood glucose levels, insulin therapy, diet, and physical activity.

The department's range of medical services includes the following:

• Diagnostics and treatment of thyroid diseases
  • Hypothyroidism, including the congenital form of the disease
  • Autoimmune thyroiditis
  • Diffuse toxic goiter
• Diagnostics and treatment of growth disorders
  • Tall stature
  • Short stature, including due to intrauterine growth restriction
  • Constitutional growth delay
• Diagnostics and treatment of puberty disorders
  • Precocious puberty
  • Delayed puberty
  • Hypogonadism (androgen deficiency)
• Diagnostics and treatment of adrenal diseases
  • Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
  • Addison's disease
  • Cushing's syndrome
• Diagnostics and treatment of pituitary diseases
  • Pituitary hormone deficiency (panhypopituitarism)
  • Growth hormone deficiency
  • Central hypothyroidism
  • Central hypogonadism
• Diagnostics and treatment of hirsutism
• Diagnostics and treatment of bone metabolism disorders
  • Vitamin D deficiency (rickets)
  • Hypoparathyroidism and pseudohypoparathyroidism
• Diagnostics and treatment of syndromic diseases affecting the endocrine glands
  • Ullrich-Turner syndrome
  • Klinefelter syndrome
• Diagnostics and treatment of diabetes mellitus
• Diagnostics and treatment of other endocrine diseases in children and adolescents