Nicklaus Children’s Offers the Latest Treatments for Pediatric Diabetes and Endocrinology Care in Locations Throughout South Florida
Pediatric endocrine disorders such as diabetes, growth hormone deficiency, early or delayed puberty, and thyroid disease are prevalent in children and adolescents, and are challenging for their families. The Division of Endocrinology at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital provides comprehensive, multidisciplinary care for the full spectrum of endocrine disorders in children from infancy through adolescence. Services are offered at eight locations ranging from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach to Martin counties.
“When we think about one of the most common pediatric endocrinology conditions, the first thing that comes to mind is diabetes,” says Alejandro Diaz, MD, Director of the Division of Endocrinology at Nicklaus Children’s. “We offer complete diabetes care at our accredited Diabetes Treatment Center. We also offer comprehensive care for a wide array of other pediatric conditions, including thyroid problems, precocious puberty, short stature and many more.”
Personalized Care for Children and Adolescents with Diabetes
When a child is diagnosed with the most common types of diabetes, T1 or T2, many factors must be considered, and finding the right treatment plan can prove challenging. At our accredited Pediatric Diabetes Treatment Center, we take every child’s unique needs into consideration and work together with the child and the child’s family to determine the best course of action. Care plans include not just medication, but also guidance for eating, learning, exercising and playing.
“We have a multidisciplinary team, including endocrinologists, psychologists, nurse practitioners, dietitians, registered nurses, social workers, diabetes community care coordinators and diabetes educators,” says Dr. Adriana Carrillo-Iregui, MD, Medical Director of the Diabetes Program at Nicklaus Children’s. “We also have experienced navigators who help patients with new-onset diabetes in the hospital from admission through discharge. Our team coordinates the psychological, physical, and social aspects of care for each patient. We give children and their families access to the educational programs and support they need.”
The team at Nicklaus Children’s also ensures that families with children or adolescents who are newly diagnosed have all the tools and education necessary to manage diabetes at home. Most patients start with insulin injections and can then transition to continuous insulin infusion using insulin pumps.
“Most patients make the transition to pumps after completing a comprehensive training process,” Dr. Carrillo-Iregui says. “A continuous glucose monitor then gives us updates every five minutes, 24/7. This tool has changed the way diabetes is treated.”
When a patient approaches the age of adult care, the team helps the process go smoothly by preparing them for the transition.
“We have a transition clinic in which we educate patients going into adult care,” says Dr. Carrillo-Iregui. “We also ensure that the patient has an adult endocrinologist before they leave pediatric care.”
The team has specialized clinics as well, including one for Type 2 diabetes and another clinic, sponsored by the Miami Dolphins, that is tailored to the needs of Black patients and underserved minorities.
Continuing Advancements
The team at Nicklaus Children’s is dedicated to advancing treatments for pediatric diabetes.
“Our Center participates in innovative clinical trials and national research,” Dr. Carrillo-Iregui says. “We specifically focus on new approaches to care for Type 1 diabetes, and have achieved excellent results.”
Nicklaus Children’s is a member of TrialNet, an international network of prominent academic institutions, scientists, physicians, and healthcare teams dedicated to the long-term goal of finding a cure for Type 1 diabetes.
“Through this important research program, we offer access to Pathway for Prevention, in which all first relatives of children with Type 1 diabetes are screened for the antibodies that predispose them to having diabetes,” says Dr.Carrillo-Iregui the principal investigator at Nicklaus Children’s. “There are now medications we can offer them to try to postpone the onset of this condition.” The program also gives researchers insight into how Type 1 diabetes develops, opening the door for new studies that could investigate preventive steps.
Other Conditions and Specialty Programs
The scope of care at the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology goes beyond diabetes. Experienced specialists offer diagnostic, treatment, and consulting services for a wide range of conditions, including adrenal, endocrine, growth, pituitary gland, sexual differentiation and thyroid disorders. Treatments range from the latest drug therapies to advanced surgical procedures.
The team also has multidisciplinary clinics for patients with rare sex chromosome aneuploidy syndromes, including Turner syndrome and Klinefelter syndrome, as well as 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. At the Thyroid and Endocrine Surgery Center, the team manages thyroid and endocrine disorders requiring surgical intervention. It also provides radiation therapy and surgical treatment for patients with thyroid cancer.
To learn more about the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology at Nicklaus Children’s, please visit nicklauschildrens.org/Endocrinology or call 305-662-8368.
