3.1 Diseases of the Endocrine System Flashcards
The pituitary gland is made up of what 2 lobes, what are the relative proportions of each?
Anterior lobe = 75%
Posterior love = 25%
Give the 5 causes of pituitary gland hypofunction?
1) Tumours - non secretory adenoma, metastatic carcinoma
2) Trauma
3) Infarction
4) Inflammation - granulomatous, autoimmune, other infections
5) Iatrogenic
The vast majority of primary pituitary tumours are of what type?
Benign adenomas (can be derived from any hormone producing cell)
What are the 2 main effects of pituitary tumours?
1) If functional the clinical effect secondary to the hormone being produced
2) Local effects due to pressure on optic chiasm or adjacent pituitary
Give the 3 commonest types of pituitary adenoma and what each causes?
1) Prolactinoma - commonest, galactorrhea and menstrual disturbance
2) Growth hormone secreting - gigantism in children and acromegaly in adults
3) ACTH secreting - Cushing’s disease
The thyroid gland is made up of 2 parts, how does each part get to its position embryologically?
1) Main part migrates from foregut to anterior neck
2) Ultimobranchial body forms in brachial arches and fuses with main bit laterally
Does ectopic thyroid just exist in the head and neck region?
No can exist in the larynx, trachea, heart, pericardium, liver, gall bladder and as far as vagina
What is the most common ectopic thyroid?
Lingual thyroid: at the base of the tongue
What percentage of patients with lingual thyroid have no other thyroid tissue?
> 75%
What is cretinism?
Cretinism is a condition of severely stunted physical and mental growth due to untreated congenital deficiency of thyroid hormones
What percentage of patients with lingual thyroid are hypothyroid and what percentage have cretinism?
70% hypothyroid
10% cretinism
What is a thyroglossal duct cyst?
A persistent track representing the embryological migratory path of thyroid anlage in the anterior neck
Where do 75% of thyroglossal duct cysts occur?
In the anterior midline of the neck or immediately below the hyoid bone
Do symptoms occur with a thyroglossal duct cyst?
No - its an asymptomatic midline neck mass
In which group is a thyroglossal duct cyst most common?
Children and young adults
What procedure can be used to remove a thyroglossal duct cyst?
Sistrunk procedure
What is acute thyroiditis?
Acute inflammation of the thyroid parenchyma associated with local viral, bacterial or fungal infection
What are most cases of acute thyroiditis due to?
Generalised sepsis
What are the 5 symptoms of acute thyroiditis?
1) Fever
2) Chills
3) Malaise
4) Pain
5) Swelling of anterior neck
What is the prognosis of acute thyroiditis?
Related to the underlying condition
What is palpation thyroiditis and what is it often associated with?
Microscopic granulomatous foci centered on thyroid follicles, secondary to rupture of follicles due to palpation or surgery
Patients almost always have a thyroid nodule
What is Riedel thyroiditis?
Rare, fibrosing form of chronic thyroiditis which may alos affect lots of other structures
How does Riedel thyroiditis present, what are the 3 main symptoms?
Presents with a firm goitre
Symptoms = dysphagia, hoarseness and stridor
(May be mistaken for malignant neoplasm)
Does Riedel’s thyroiditis require treatment?
No - it is a benign self-limiting disease
What is Chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis also known as?
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
What is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis?
Autoimmune chronic inflammatory disorder with diffuse enlargement and raised serum thyroid antibodies, get lymphocytic infiltration of the thyroid parenchyma, often with germinal center formation
Hashimotos thyroiditis occurs most commonly in which group?
Females at age of 59
Is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis associated with hypo or hyper thyroidism?
Hypothyroidism
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis increases the risk of what 2 conditions?
80 fold increased risk of thyroid lymphoma
Increased risk of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid
What is diffuse hyperplasia of the thyroid also known as?
Grave’s disease
What is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism?
Grave’s disease (80% of cases)
What are the thyroid hormone levels in Graves disease?
T3 and T4 elevated, TSH markedly suppressed
What are the 5 physical findings in Grave’s disease?
1) Pretibial myxoedema
2) Hair loss
3) Wide eyed stare or proptosis
4) Tachycardia
5) Hyperreactive reflexes
What is a multinodular goitre?
Enlargement of the thyroid with varying degrees of nodularity -1 or more thyroid nodules
Do patients with a multinodular goitre tend to get changes to their thyroid levels?
No - most are euthyroid
What 2 symptoms may develop with large nodules in a multinodular goitre?
Tracheal compression
Dysphagia
What is a follicular adenoma of the thyroid?
Benign encapsulated tumour with evidence of follicular differentiation, a solitary nodule only involving one lobe
How does follicular adenoma present, which sex is it most common in?
Painless neck mass, often present for years
Females more than males
Give the 4 most common malignant tumours of the thyroid?
1) Differentiated thyroid carcinoma
2) Medullar carcinoma
3) Anaplastic carcinoma
4) Malignant lymphoma
What is the commonest type of thyroid carcinoma, which sex it most common in?
Papillary carcinoma, most common in females
What are the 5 main risk factors for developing a papillary carcinoma?
1) Familial, autosomal dominant non medullary thyroid carcinoma
2) FAB
3) Cowden’s syndrome
4) Therapeutic irradiation
5) Radiation exposure
In addition to the variety of chromosomal translocations in papillary carcinoma, what are the 4 most common molecular abnormalities?
1) Activation of RET or NTRK1
2) Fusion of RET tyrosine kinase regions with constitutively expressed thyroid proteins
3) BRAF V600E mutation
4) RAS mutations