The endocrine system helps your body function by making hormones. Hormones are special chemicals that control important functions like growth, metabolism and development. When the body makes too much or too little of a hormone, it can lead to imbalances that impact your child's health, growth and overall well-being.

Adrenal Gland Conditions

The adrenal glands are small organs that sit on top of each kidney. They make many important hormones that help the body function properly, including:

• Cortisol: Often called the “stress hormone,” it helps the body respond to illness and regulate blood sugar and blood pressure.
• Aldosterone: It maintains salt and water balance, which helps control blood pressure.
• Androgens: These are like testosterone and are important for development.
• Catecholamines: They help the body respond to physical or emotional stress (like adrenaline).

When the adrenal glands make too much or too little of these hormones, it can lead to health problems in children. Some adrenal conditions include:

• Addison’s disease: When the adrenal glands don’t make enough cortisol and sometimes aldosterone
• Adrenal insufficiency: Low adrenal hormone production that may be present from birth or develop later.
• Cushing’s syndrome: Caused by too much cortisol in the body
• Pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma: Rare tumors that cause excess catecholamines
• Hypoaldosteronism: Too little aldosterone is produced, which impacts blood pressure and electrolyte balance

Calcium and Bone Conditions

Calcium is essential for your child's bone strength, muscle movement and healthy nerve function. When calcium levels are too low or too high, or if bones don't develop properly, it can lead to various health concerns.

Low Calcium (Hypocalcemia)

Low calcium levels can happen for several reasons, including:

• Calcium deficiency: There is enough calcium-rich foods in the diet.
• Low vitamin D: The body can’t absorb enough calcium as it needs.
• Parathyroid gland problems (hypoparathyroidism): The glands don’t make enough parathyroid hormone.
• Genetic conditions such as DiGeorge syndrome.
• Certain medications: This affects calcium balance.

High Calcium (Hypercalcemia)

Too much calcium in the blood can also cause health issues. Common causes include:

• Hyperparathyroidism: When the parathyroid glands make too much hormone.
• Genetic disorders: These can affect calcium levels.
• Limited physical activity: When a child must stay in bed for long periods.
• Certain medications.
• Too much vitamin D: This can lead to too much calcium absorption from food.

Rickets

A condition that affects growing bones, often due to:

• Low vitamin D levels
• Not enough calcium or phosphate in the diet
• Problems absorbing nutrients needed for bone growth

Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI)

• A genetic bone disorder sometimes called “brittle bone disease”
• Causes bones to break easily, often with little or no trauma
• 16 different types of OI, ranging from mild to severe
• Happens in about one in 20,000 births

Other Bone Conditions

• Osteoporosis: When the bones become weak and more likely to break.
• Hypophosphatasia: A rare genetic condition that impacts bone mineralization.
• Metabolic Bone Disease: A broad category of disorders that impact how bones grow and maintain strength.

Puberty is the time when a child’s body begins to change and develop into an adult body. These changes are both physical and emotional and are controlled by hormones. Most girls begin puberty around age 10 and most boys around age 11. But this can vary.

When Puberty Happens Early — Precocious Puberty

Puberty is considered early when it begins before:

• Age 8 in girls
• Age 9 in boys

Signs of Precocious Puberty can include:

• Early breast development (especially before age 3 in girls)
• Early appearance of pubic or underarm hair
• Adult-type body odor that may require deodorant

Some children with early signs of puberty may not need treatment. Others might be helped by medical care depending on the cause and how fast the changes are happening.

When Puberty Happens Late — Delayed Puberty

Puberty is considered delayed when:

• A girl has not begun breast development by age 13
• A boy has not started any signs of puberty by age 14

This is often called being a “late bloomer.” While it’s common and usually not a cause for concern, sometimes it may signal an underlying issue. A doctor may recommend testing or treatment if needed.

How Hormones Play a Role

Different hormones are responsible for different parts of puberty. If these hormones aren’t released at the right time or in the right amounts, it can lead to early or delayed puberty.

If you have concerns about your child’s development, talk to your child’s doctor. The Endocrinology and Diabetes Program at Children’s Wisconsin can help evaluate and support your child’s growth and development.

The pituitary gland is a small but very important gland in the brain. It controls the function of many other glands in the body. It is controlled by a nearby area called the hypothalamus. The pituitary gland helps your child or teen grow, stay healthy and develop properly.

Children are tested when their growth is slower than expected, considering their family’s height, their own past growth patterns and other health concerns. Short stature can have many causes, including:

• Poor weight gain: Not gaining enough weight can impact growth.
• Endocrine disorders: Conditions like thyroid disease or growth hormone deficiency can slow growth.
• Chromosome differences: For example, Turner syndrome, which impacts girls and has its own specialty program at Children’s Wisconsin.
• Skeletal dysplasia: A group of conditions where bones and body parts develop differently, leading to shorter stature.

Children’s Wisconsin has several clinics where we treat different endocrine conditions, including:

• Emerge Clinic: Treats children with differences of sexual development and disorders the impact the adrenal glands
• Gender Health Clinic: Provides care for children and adolescents in all aspects of gender identity
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Clinic: Treats adolescents with polycystic ovary disease and polycystic ovary syndrome, whose symptoms include missed periods, acne, hair loss and diabetes
• Thyroid Nodule Clinic: Cares for children with buildup of cells in the thyroid gland, also called thyroid nodules
• Turner Syndrome Clinic: Specializes in the genetic disorder seen in girls that cause them to be shorter than others and to not mature sexually as they grow into adulthood

Award-wining care: At Children’s Wisconsin, our award-winning Endocrinology and Diabetes Program treats the full range of endocrine disorders and diabetes. Our compassionate staff and volunteers are here to support your family every step of the way, helping you understand and manage your child’s condition with confidence.