Overview and Principles of Pediatric Endocrinology

This chapter provides an overview of the principles of pediatric endocrinology as a distinct specialty, focusing on the historical evolution of this field, the impact of evolving advances in the ability to quantify the concentration and cellular actions of hormones at a biochemical and molecular level, and their relevance in understanding health and disease. Among the unique aspects of this discipline are the fetal origins of adult disease, as well as the transitions and adaptations after birth and at puberty. These aspects provide a basis for the approach to the patient when evaluating suspected endocrine disorders in infancy and childhood; the details of these aspects are described in the chapters that follow.