Adrenal Insufficiency from Chronic Systemic and Inhaled Corticosteroids: A Screening and Care Guide for Neonatal and Pediatric Non-Endocrinologists

Chair(s)

• 

  Alexandra Ahmet, MD, FRCPC (she/her/hers)

  Pediatric Endocrinologist, Associate Professor of Pediatrics
  Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, University of Ottawa
  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
• 

  Cathrine Constantacos, MD, FAAP

  Associate Professor, Pediatrics - Endocrinology
  Wake Forest School of Medicine - Brenner Children's Hospital/ AHWFB
  Winston Salem, North Carolina, United States

Join us for an engaging session on an innovative Adrenal Suppression Program, designed to improve the screening and management of adrenal insufficiency from chronic corticosteroid exposure (a.k.a. adrenal suppression) and its severe complication of adrenal crisis in pediatric patients from infancy to adolescence. With the rising use of corticosteroids and no established national pediatric guidelines in the U.S., there is an urgent need to address adrenal suppression to reduce morbidity and mortality.

This session will offer practical guidance for primary care providers, acute care teams, and non-endocrine specialists on how to identify at-risk patients and manage their care effectively.

Dr. Alexandra Ahmet (Associate Professor, Pediatrics, University of Ottawa, Canada; international expert in pediatric adrenal suppression) will commence the session with an overview of adrenal suppression, highlighting existing international guidelines and expert insights.

Following that, Dr. Sean Watson (Neonatology Fellow, Wake Forest University, School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC) will share findings from the neonatal ICU Adrenal Rounds, focusing on screening algorithms for infants and clinical management strategies from diagnosis to home care, along with the results achieved thus far.

Finally, Dr. Cathrine Constantacos (Associate Professor, Pediatrics, Director Adrenal Suppression Program, Wake Forest University, School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC) will present the Adrenal Suppression Program's approach for older children, detailing emergency management protocols and sharing the program’s data and outcomes to date.

This comprehensive approach aims to empower healthcare providers with the knowledge necessary to prevent adrenal crises and improve patient outcomes.

Presentations:

• 2:00pm – 2:25pm HST

  Understanding Adrenal Suppression in Children with a Highlight on Existing International Guidelines and Current Care Gaps
  

  Speaker: Alexandra Ahmet, MD, FRCPC (she/her/hers) – Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, University of Ottawa
• 2:25pm – 2:40pm HST

  NICU Adrenal Rounds: Increasing Awareness and Standardizing Screening for At-risk Infants on Long-term Corticosteroids
  

  Speaker: Sean Watson, MD (he/him/his) – Wake Forest Baptist Health - Brenner Children's Hospital
• 2:40pm – 3:10pm HST

  Practical Tools for Non-endocrinologists to Screen and Manage Adrenal Insufficiency from Corticosteroids Beyond Infancy
  

  Speaker: Cathrine Constantacos, MD, FAAP – Wake Forest School of Medicine - Brenner Children's Hospital/ AHWFB
• 3:10pm – 3:30pm HST

  Q & A