London Medical Endocrinology
Paediatric endocrinology
London Medical provides the most up-to-date procedures for patients – with clinics held by some of the UK’s most renowned specialists.
Expert paediatric endocrinology care for children and young people with hormone disorders.
Paediatric Endocrinology is the care and treatment of children and young people with hormone disorders. Hormones are the body’s chemical messengers. They travel in the blood to help the tissues or organs work effectively. Normally, the body keeps the hormones in a delicate balance. Hormone problems can affect a child’s growth or development at puberty and can have significant effects on a young person’s physical and emotional wellbeing.
London Medical offers specialist endocrinology care from renowned paediatric endocrinologists. The consultants are supported by a team of specialist dieticians, clinical psychologists, and specialist nurses with experience and skills in treating and communicating with young people of all ages.
The specialist endocrinology team at London Medical supports children with hormone disorders from infancy to young adulthood. Older teenagers will be introduced to the adult endocrinologists and specialist nurses and supported to ensure a smooth and comfortable transition.
London Medical provides expert treatment and monitoring for many hormonal conditions for children and adolescents, including:
- Disorders of growth and puberty, including tall and short stature, and disorders of weight and menstrual rhythm
- Disorders of sexual differentiation
- Turner’s syndrome and other short stature skeletal dysplasias
- Adrenal disorders
- Thyroid disease including congenital hypothyroidism
- Neuroendocrine and pituitary related tumours
- Over and underactivity of the pituitary gland
- Endocrine effects of chronic disease and children on steroids treatment
- Late effects of childhood cancer treatment
- Assessment of reproductive capacity
- Metabolic bone disease
- Reduced bone mineralisation
- Hypogonadism
- Hirsutism
- Acne
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome
London Medical offers a comprehensive range of endocrine tests and investigations for endocrine conditions in children and adolescents, including:
- Thyroid ultrasound and thyroid fine needle aspiration biopsy of thyroid nodule
- Insulin stress testing
- Glucagon stimulation test
- Dexamethasone suppression tests
- Thyroid function tests
- Pituitary releasing hormone tests
- Synacthen stimulation test
- Assessment of reproductive function
- Osteoporosis markers and bone density
- Day curves of different hormones
- Water deprivation test
‘We support every aspect of your child’s diabetes care, including both their physical and emotional wellbeing.’
Our Consultants
Dr Helen Spoudeas
A paediatric endocrinologist, specialising in paediatric neuroendocrinology and sees all patients with growth and puberty disorders.
Dr Martha Ford-Adams
Consultant paediatrician with specialist interest in treating diabetes for children and adolescents.
Dr Olga Kapellou
Skilled consultant paediatrician and neonatologist, operating in the London area.
Dr Rakesh Amin
Clinical lead for endocrinology and diabetes at Great Ormond Street Hospital. His clinical practice encompasses all areas of paediatric and adolescent endocrinology and diabetes.
Our endocrinology specialties
We offer expert care and treatment across a broad range of endocrine disorders and diseases.
Explore our endocrine specialties:
Thyroid problems are very common, with about 1 in 20 people affected by a thyroid disorder in the UK. Anyone regardless of their age or sex can develop a problem with their thyroid, but women are more affected than men.
Symptoms & Conditions
- Hypothyroidism
- Hyperthyroidism
- Goitre/multinodular goitre
- Thyroid nodules
- Thyroid cancer
Treatments
Your consultant will discuss a personalised treatment plan
There is a wide range of normal when it comes to childhood growth and development. If you have any concerns that your child is either too tall or too short compared to their peers or that puberty is starting either too early or too late, then a paediatric endocrinologist can evaluate your child to determine if a hormonal problem is the reason.
Symptoms & Conditions
- Short stature
- Constitutional growth delay
- Gigantism
- Delayed puberty
- Early puberty
- Growth hormone deficiency
- Acromegaly
Treatments
- Somatostatin analogues to block the release of growth hormone
- Surgery to remove pituitary tumours
- Radiation therapy
You probably know that calcium is crucial for healthy bones, but it does much more than just protect your bones. Calcium can also be found in every cell of the body, so having too much or too little calcium can significantly impact your physical health as well as your emotions and cognitive function.
Symptoms & Conditions
- Hyperparathyroidism
- Hypercalcemia
- Hypoparathyroidism
- Parathyroid adenomas
- Osteoporosis
Treatments
- Medications to control your serum calcium levels
- Surgery to remove one or more of the parathyroid glands causing the overproduction of PHT
- Bisphosphonates to protect against osteoporosis
If you are feeling the effects of menopause, whether that’s hot flushes, difficulty sleeping, reduced sex drive, fatigue or extreme mood swings, you are probably eager to find relief from the havoc caused by your changing hormones.
Symptoms & Conditions
- Menopause
- Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI)
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Infertility
- Recurrent miscarriage
- Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism
- Amenorrhea
- Delayed puberty
- Hirsutism
- Osteoporosis
Treatments
- Hormone treatment or hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Non-hormonal treatments for menopause such as lubricants for vaginal dryness or antidepressants for depression
- Choosing the right hormonal birth control for PCOS
- Non-hormonal treatments for PCOS
- Oestrogen for delayed puberty
- Bisphosphonates for osteoporosis
- Fertility planning
- Holistic advice on diet, nutrition and exercise plans
- Suggestions on alternative therapies such as acupuncture, yoga, CBT and mindfulness.
You’re probably aware of testosterone’s essential role in male reproductive health and fertility. But did you know that testosterone also plays a crucial part in regulating a man’s physical features, energy, weight, mood and bone health?
Symptoms & Conditions
- Hypogonadism
- Erectile dysfunction
- Delayed puberty
- Infertility
Treatments
Testosterone replacement therapy
- monthly or 3-monthly injections
- topical application with a gel
- patches
The word ‘adrenal’ sounds like adrenaline for a reason. Our adrenal glands produce our body’s ‘fight or flight’ hormone, adrenaline. Along with the related hormones noradrenaline and dopamine, the adrenal hormones work together to maintain our blood pressure and heart rate. But that’s not their only function.
Symptoms & Conditions
- Adrenal insufficiency/Addison’s disease
- Cushing's syndrome
- Conn’s syndrome
- Endocrine hypertension
- Adrenal adenocarcinoma
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH)
- Phaeochromocytoma
- Paraganglioma
Treatments
- Medications to stop any excess hormone production
- Hormone replacement medication
The pituitary gland is often called the ‘conductor of the endocrine orchestra.’ It produces hormones that stimulate and activate other endocrine glands, including the adrenal glands, the thyroid, the testes and the ovaries. Each of these glands has many complex interactions. When your pituitary gland is damaged or doesn’t function properly, it can cause severe repercussions to many vital functions, including metabolic rate, childhood growth and development, stress response, reproductive functioning and breastfeeding.
Symptoms & Conditions
- Prolactinoma
- Hypopituitarism
- Cushing's disease
- Acromegaly
- Pituitary diabetes insipidus
Treatments
- Surgery to remove tumours
- Radiation therapy to shrink tumours or prevent them from growing
- Medications to reduce hormone production or to replace deficient hormones
A neuroendocrine tumour (NET) begins in hormone-producing cells that are part of the endocrine system. The endocrine system is a complex system composed of glands that secrete hormones (chemical messengers). These hormones carry instructions and information to other parts of the body to coordinate and influence a range of bodily functions, from metabolism and growth to reproduction.
NETs are classified by where they are first found. NETs can be found in the following places:
- lungs
- pancreas
- small intestines
- large intestines
- rectum
- stomach
- oesophagus
- appendix
- skin
- prostate
- uterus
- adrenal, parathyroid and pituitary glands.
Symptoms of neuroendocrine tumours
- abdominal pain
- flushing
- wheezing
- bloating
- heart palpitations
- skin rash
- weakness
- heartburn
- unexplained weight changes
Treatments
- surgery
- anti-hormonal therapy
- therapy with radioactively labelled agents
- drugs targeting specific processes in the neuroendocrine tumour cells
- chemotherapy
Our Locations
London Medical is located in the Harley Street medical area. Together with top experts across a range of multi-disciplinary fields, we offer the finest facilities for your care, all under one roof.
Monday to Friday 8.30am to 8pm
Monday to Friday 8.30am to 8pm
Monday to Friday 8.30am to 8pm
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