Introduction

Summary

Endocrine disease in the neonate is uncommon, but may be life threatening or have profound long-term consequences if not promptly recognized and treated. In addition, interpretation of endocrine function in the newborn period can be difficult, because of the transition following the hormonal influences of the mother and placenta. The situation is even more complex in infants born prematurely.

The aim of this handbook is to aid those caring for newborn babies in the diagnosis and management of suspected endocrine pathology. A number of flow charts are provided to clarify the diagnostic process. This book is designed to guide clinicians in the diagnostic process, but an endocrine specialist should be involved at an early stage, where an endocrine abnormality is strongly suspected.

We have given a guide to how and when samples should be taken, and provided a guide as to sample volumes, length of time one can expect before the results are available and normative values. However, these will vary between hospitals, methodology used, and whether samples need to be sent elsewhere for analysis. We have also provided a formulary of drugs used in neonatal endocrinology.