UI Health Pediatrics

Pediatric Weight Management Referrals

Pediatric weight management & endocrinology teams are here to help you with the evaluation and management of your patients with obesity. We would like to provide some information on the services we offer at UI Health and some recommendations that may help you by the time you consider referring a patient.

1. When you evaluate a patient with obesity remember that endocrine and genetic causes account for 1-2% of cases. It is unlikely that an obese patient with normal linear growth has an endocrine disorder causing his/her weight problem. Additionally, if the patient has normal linear growth and no symptoms of thyroid dysfunction it is unlikely that the patient has a thyroid problem
2. A patient with obesity should be referred to our service if one or more of the following results in the laboratory work-up are found:
   TABLE 1
   
      ^a If possible, tests should be repeated fasting in 2-4 weeks, except the HbA1c that can be performed at any time.
      ^b If this is the only abnormal test, you may consider a referral to Gastroenterology instead.
      ^c If this is the only abnormal test, you may consider a referral to Cardiology instead.
3. If your patient has a normal laboratory evaluation (tests listed in Table 1) or laboratory results that do not meet the criteria described in Table 1, you may refer your patient to the Pediatric Lifestyle Modification Program. This 8-week program combines diet modification, increased physical activity, stress reduction strategies, and behavioral parent training to build healthy living habits. For more information or appointments contact Marla Solomon, RD at 312.996.1795.
4. If your patient is > 14 years old, has severe obesity (BMI>35 kg/m2), and is considering bariatric surgery, please refer the patient to the UI Health Adolescent Weight Management Clinic. For appointments call 312.996.7416.
5. Children with obesity who are <3 years old, or with sleep apnea, or history of SCFE should also be referred to our endocrine clinic. The diagnosis of obesity for children younger than 2 years old is made if sex-specific weight for length is ≥98th percentile on World Health Organization (WHO) growth charts.

Obesity and Weight Management Referral Decision Tree

At UI Health, goal is to provide the best care available to your patients and fulfill their expectations when visiting our clinics. If you have any question about our services or referrals please do not hesitate to call us at 312.996.1795.