Paediatrics

The Hans Christian Andersen Childrens Hospital is the only paediatric department on Funen. The department has a main function for Funen as well as Regional functions and highly specialised functions for the entire region of Southern Denmark. The department carries out highly specialised functions for all parts of Western Denmark for some groups of diseases.

The highly specialised function is carried out within the following paediatric specialist areas (sub-specialist areas): gastroenterology, hepatology/nutrition, neonatology, allergy/pulmonology, oncology/haematology, endocrinology, nephrology, neurology, cardiology, social paediatrics, rheumatology, and infection medicine.

The paediatric specialist areas are carried out by cross-disciplinary teams consisting of physicians, nurses, secretaries, psychologists, social advisors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and other specialist areas depending on the nature of the tasks. 

Hans Christian Andersen Childrens Hospital's focus is on epidemiology, development and prevention of paediatric diseases. A recently established birth cohort study comprising three different year groups of newborns from Odense municipality focuses on interaction between environmental factors and congenital factors and their impact on children-s development and the aetiology of diseases. This study focuses particularly on the impact of factors during pregnancy and in the early childhood years for the occurrence of later diseases and the possibilities for prevention.

The main areas of research are:

• Nutrition and gastrointestinal diseases (congenital diseases, coeliac disease, intestinal failure, bowel disorders)
• Asthma and allergies (epidemiology, risk factors, prevention and treatment of allergic diseases)
• Hormonal diseases with focus on diabetes mellitus and disorders in calcium-phosphate regulation
• Hyperinsulinism in newborns
• Diseases in bones, body composition and growth disorders
• Communication, environment and quality of life

Research at the Hans Christian Andersen Children's Hospital is closely linked with the institute of clinical research at the university of southern denmark as well as with odense university hospital and with close contact to the allergy centre and the centre of paediatric surgery, department of surgery. Other collaboration partners include the three other paediatric departments in the region of southern denmark in aabenraa, esbjerg and kolding as well as the institute of sports science and clinical biomechanics, the institute of molecular medicine, and the institute of epidemiology and preventive medicine at the university of southern denmark.