Endocrine Disorders
Eight major glands, including the thyroid, pituitary, adrenal, and pancreatic glands, are part of the endocrine system. Growth and development, metabolism, sexual function, and mood are all impacted by this system.
You may have an endocrine problem or disease if your hormone levels are out of balance. If your body does not react to hormones as it should, you may develop endocrine diseases and disorders.
The endocrine system is impacted by endocrine diseases. This system makes use of glands all over the body to manufacture and release hormones, which can have an impact on a variety of physiological functions. An individual may have an endocrine disorder if their hormone levels are abnormally high or low or if their body does not react to hormones appropriately. There are numerous potential causes of endocrine problems, including tumours, hereditary conditions, and hormonal abnormalities. These illnesses can produce a wide range of symptoms and have an impact on growth and development, metabolism, sexual function, and mood because they affect hormones.
The following are the main elements of the endocrine system:
• Hypothalamus
• Pineal Body
• Pituitary Gland
• Thyroid and Parathyroid
• Thymus
• Adrenal Gland
• Pancreas
• Ovaries
• Testicles
An endocrinologist is a physician who focuses on hormones. Endocrinology is the study of hormones. These medical professionals can suggest therapies that can aid in re-establishing the body's normal hormonal balance and functionality.
Depending on the disease, there are a variety of causes for endocrine problems.
As an illustration, acromegaly with Cushing's syndrome A pituitary or adrenal gland tumour is frequently the cause of Trusted Source. Even though these tumours are typically benign, excision is nevertheless necessary to treat the illness.
Hormonal imbalances are to blame for some issues. For instance, hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism are conditions in which the thyroid gland generates excessive or insufficient amounts of thyroid hormones, respectively Trusted Source. Additionally, a polycystic ovarian syndrome in females is brought on by elevated testosterone levels (PCOS).
Endocrine disorders can occasionally result from an autoimmune disorder. For instance, type 1 diabetes is brought on by the immune system killing the pancreatic cells that produce insulin. Another autoimmune illness that can lead to hyperthyroidism is Graves' disease.
Typical Endocrine Conditions
Diabetes
Diabetes is a disorder that results in excessive blood sugar levels because the body is unable to make or use insulin effectively enough to control glucose. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are two of the most prevalent varieties.
Diabetes results in the following symptoms: increased urination and thirst, more appetite unanticipated weight changes.
Hyperthyroidism
When the thyroid gland generates too many hormones, hyperthyroidism resultsTrusted Source. There are a number of potential explanations for the disorder, such as Graves' disease or thyroid gland inflammation.
The body's energy use is regulated by thyroid hormones. This indicates that the illness may result in a variety of symptoms, such as a quick or irregular heartbeat, trouble sleeping, agitation, and anxiety, several bowel motions, a decrease in weight and a rise in hunger, and growth in the neck known as a goitre.
Cushing Syndrome
Taking corticosteroids to treat a medical condition or having a pituitary or adrenal gland tumour, which causes the adrenal glands to produce too many corticosteroids, are the two most common causes of Cushing syndrome.
Tumours in other places can also result in Cushing syndrome (such as the lungs). A wide, round face, thin skin, and excessive torso fat are typical features of people with Cushing syndrome. To diagnose Cushing syndrome, doctors check the amount of cortisol and perform further testing. To eliminate a tumour, surgery or radiation therapy is frequently required.
Addison Disease
The tendency is for the adrenal glands to produce insufficient amounts of all the adrenal hormones, including corticosteroids (particularly cortisol) and mineralocorticoids, when they are underactive (particularly aldosterone, which controls blood pressure and the levels of salt [sodium chloride] and potassium in the body). Likewise stimulated by the adrenal glands are minute amounts of testosterone, oestrogen, and other androgens (such as dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA]), the levels of which are also decreased in those with adrenocortical insufficiency.
Gigantism and Acromegaly
The anterior lobe of the pituitary gland produces growth hormone. Many internal organs, including the bones and muscles, are stimulated to develop by growth hormones. Therefore, all of these tissues grow abnormally robustly as a result of excess growth hormone. A non-cancerous (benign) pituitary tumour almost invariably results in excessive growth hormone production (adenoma). The pituitary can be stimulated to create excessive levels of growth hormone by certain uncommon cancers of the pancreas and lungs, with comparable effects.
Short Stature
Height below the third percentile for the child's age is considered short stature (according to standard growth charts for age and height). Short height can happen for reasons other than a lack of growth hormone. For instance, the majority of young children and teenagers with short height either come from short families or experienced a late growth spurt compared to the average range of ages for such development. Some kids are underweight and undernourished, or they have chronic conditions that affect their thyroid, heart, lungs, kidneys, or intestines, which might cause them to grow short. Other kids suffer from inherited bone-growth diseases including Turner syndrome or skeletal dysplasia.