Institute of Children and Adolescents Health Care of the Academy of Medical Sciences was founded in 1922 in Kharkov as the first Ukrainian State Research Institute of Motherhood and Childhood Protection (Decree of Ukrainian People’s Commissariat for Health Protection No. 174 of 28.10.22). In 1965 the Institute was reorganized into Kharkov Research Institute of Children and Adolescents Health Care named after N.K. Krupskaya. From that time on the Institute has been a leading scientific and research organization in this country which coordinates researches concerning the problem of health care of schoolchildren and adolescents, takes part in up-grade training of specialists, and issues methodological bulletins for introduction of novel methods into practice, conducts scientific and practical conferences and symposia as regards urgent problems of children and adolescent health care and renders highly skilled assistance to children and adolescents.

The principal scientific research objectives of the Institute are:

- determination of the patterns of health formation in Ukrainian schoolchildren, as well as the environmental and hereditary factors which affect them , and development of monitoring systems;

- determination of neurohormonal and immune mechanisms that ensure development of a child organism and cause formation of pathology in puberty;

- working out new methods for preventing, diagnosing and prognosing the course and treatment of the diseases of cardiovascular, digestive, and endocrinal systems, connective tissue, as well as mental disorders in puberty; 

- medical and psychological rehabilitation of children and adolescents with the severest somatic pathology and mental development disorders, and preventing disability development;

- scientific substantiation of the most effective forms of medical support of children and adolescents in Ukraine, including children from high social risk groups.

The names of such well-known researchers and organizers of health care in Ukraine as the first director of the Institute Prof. S.M. Yampolsky, Prof. A.I. Kornilova, Honoured   Scientist and Technologist of Ukraine, who headed the Institute for 34 years,  (1952 to 1986), member of NAS Prof. V.I. Grishchenko, Professors M.I. Olevsky, M.L. Koshkin, L.M. Merkov, S.Ya. Shafershtein, V.I. Konstantinov, A.P. Lagunova, V.O. Sarana, R.S. Mirsagatova, V.Ya. Gayday, L.A. Stuliy, N.A. Dmitrova,  E.Z. Yusfina and T.G. Sofienko are connected with the Institute.

For the past years the following well-known scientific schools have been formed at the Institute: “Arterial hypertension and atherosclerosis precursors in children and adolescents”, “Rheumatology of children and adolescents”, “Children’s and adolescent gynecology”, “Children’s and adolescent endocrinology”,  “Hygiene of children and adolescents”, and “Radiation pediatrics”.

The Institute provides research support for government and integrated Programs: “Children of Ukraine”, “Health of the Nation”, “Reproductive Health 2001 – 2005” and “Prophylaxis and Treatment of Аrterial Hypertension in Ukraine”

Today the Institute employs 70 researchers and 52 practitioners, 4 of them are Honored Scientists and Technologists of Ukraine, 4 are Honored Doctors of Ukraine and 2 are Honored Health Protection Specialists of Ukraine; 12 are Doctors of Medicine, 48 are Candidates of Med. Sc., and 59 are specialists with the top-grade qualifications. 

The Institute is a clinical basis of the Chair of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology (Prof. M.M. Korenev), the Chair of General and Clinical Immunology and Allergology (headed by Prof. N.N. Popov) at Kharkiv National University named after V.N. Karazin, the Chair of Adolescent Medicine (headed by Prof. L.K. Parkhomenko) and the Chair of Clinical Informatics and Information Technologies in Health Care Management (headed by Prof. O.Yu. Mayorov) at Kharkiv Medical Academy of Post-graduate Training.




SECTION OF PEDIATRICS AND REHABILITATION

Head of the Section  Professor N.M.Korenev,
MD, Honoured Scientist and Technologist of Ukraine

The main objective of scientific activity of the section is the problem of early diagnosis, clinical manifestation, treatment, rehabilitation and regular medical check-up of children and adolescents with arterial hypertension. Researchers of the Institute take part in fulfilment the national program “Prophylaxis of treatment of arterial hypertension in Ukraine”.

The second objective is morbidity prophylaxis in children and adolescents who suffered from Chernobyl catastrophe. Since 1986 their development has been under close observation as related to the duration of radiation exposure. Special attention has been paid to the state of cardiovascular system at the remote stages of post-Chernobyl situation. The role of radiation and psycho-emotional stress in the genesis of disorders in the circulation regulation system has also been studied.

Since 1966 monitoring the health state of the children born from fathers-liquidators of Chernobyl catastrophe consequences has been carried out. Pathogenetic aspects of their health formation during the period of neurohormonal changes have been considered, and the role of immuno-endocrinous interaction at the stages of sex maturation has been closely studied.

Certain features of micro-social situation concerning the descendants whose fathers were exposed to ionizing radiation in low doses have been investigated. Recommendations on rehabilitation of adolescents have been scientifically substantiated and prognostic criteria of their further development have been worked out.     




SECTION OF CARDIORHEUMATOLOGY

Head of the Section  Professor L.F. Bogmat, MD

Researchers of the section traditionally deal with the problems of cardiovascular and rheumatic diseases in children and adolescents. Various aspects of diagnosing, treatment and rehabilitation of patients with rheumatism, rheumatoid and reactive arthrites, arterial hypertension, non-rheumatic cardiopathies and vascular impairments have been fruitfully studied in the section.

In recent years special attention has been paid to studying the problems of connective tissue systemic disorders of congenital and autoimmune origin (systemic dysplasia, systemic lupus enythematosus, sclerodermic disease, dermatomiositis, panarteritis nodosa, etc) and to prognosing their complications. Studying the mechanisms of  formation and the factors causing heart insufficiency in adolescents with myocardium pathology (cardiomyopathies, cardites, and arrythmias) and osteoarthrosis in children and adolescents has been initiated.




SECTION OF CHILDREN’S GYNECOLOGY

Head of the Section S.A. Levenets, MD

Basic trends of scientific and practical activity of the section are connected with the problems of physiology and pathology of female gonadal system formation and with the effect of various exogenic and endogenic factors (extragenital diseases, significant physical loads, conditions of upbringing and certain factors in professional training) on female sexual system.

For the  past 10 years certain principally  new methods have been worked out and introduced into practical treatment of adolescent girls with gynecological diseases (sexual development delay, juvenile uterine bleeding, syndrome of sclerocystic ovaries, etc). The methods have been patented.




SECTION OF ENDOCRINOLOGY

Head of the Section N.V. Filipрova, Сand.Sc.(Medicine)

For  many years research at the section has been connected with the problems of diabetes mellitus (DM) in children and adolescents, especially with pathogenesis of microcirculation  disorders, formation of diabetic angiopathy, nephropathy and other diabetic complications in the patients of said age group, as well as with the technology of   prognosing them.  A study of  certain forms of DM in children and adolescents, connected  with thyreopathies, has been initiated, the incidence of the pathology has been determined  and certain features of its pathogenesis  and course have been analyzed. On the basis of the section of endocrinology   a special school  of DM  self-control for children and adolescents  has been working successfully. Another object of research is determining  the incidence of clinical variants of the course and  the mechanisms of forming sexual system  pathology in males, and working out the tactics  of their treatment. Novel methods of rehabilitating boys with sexual development delay have been tested and patented.

Since 2000 on the basis of the section an integrated study of risk factors  and progression in the development of hypothalamic syndrome of puberty in boys has been initiated.




SECTION OF PSYCHIATRY

Head of the Section  T.Yu. Proskurina ,Cand.Sc.(Medicine)

Research work at the section is defined by the spread of mental diseases  among the children and adolescents in Ukraine; attention is also paid to studying the state of mental  health in children from groups of high social risk.

The problems of diagnosis,  pathogenesis and clinical manifestation of neurotic   and psychosomatic disorders at well as behavioural disturbanses have been studied. The programs for medico-psychological and social rehabilitation of such  children have been worked out.

The results obtained made it possible to introduce into practice at medical institutions of Ukraine certain technologies for early diagnosis and rehabilitation of children and adolescents with neurotic and behavioural disorders, and to develop a concept of medico-psychological assistance for such patients under school conditions.




THE DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOLCHILDREN AND
ADOLESCENTS HYGIENE

Head of the Department  G.N.Danilenko, Сand. Sc. (Medicine)

The researchers of the department have been most seriously