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Endocrine Clinic

Dr. Wassim Chemaitilly with patient Kye

The St. Jude Endocrine Clinic treats hormone problems that may result from a patient’s illness or treatments.

The endocrine system contains a group of important glands. These include the hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, pancreas, and reproductive glands. Each gland gives off chemical messengers called hormones into the bloodstream. These hormones affect almost every body function. They control growth, how your body gets and uses fuel, how your body creates offspring, and many other systems that are important to overall health.

Most patients at St. Jude have some risk for endocrine problems. Patients may be at risk for slow growth rate, osteoporosis (brittle bone disease), diabetes, low energy, early or late onset of puberty, thyroid damage, or damage to the testes or ovaries. The good news is that almost every endocrine problem has a treatment.

The goal of the Endocrine Clinic staff is to put the body back into the state it should have been before illness and treatments. If your child’s body no longer makes certain hormones, the clinic staff can often give medicines to replace those hormones.

As long-term survival rates for many diseases have risen, health care workers have started to notice and treat more endocrine problems. The Endocrine Clinic staff helps improve quality of life. They are able to spot problems early so treatment can start early. Sometimes the staff can head off problems before they occur or early enough to treat them with success.

If you would like to know more about the Endocrine Clinic, call (901) 595-3824. If you are inside the hospital, dial 3824. If you are outside the Memphis area, call toll-free 1-866-2STJUDE (1-866-278-5833), extension 3824.

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