Endocrine Flashcards
Hypothyroid disease
Happens when thyroid gland doesn’t make enough thyroid hormone
Hypothyroid S+S
Depends on severity
Fatigue
Constipation
Dry skin, inc sensitivity to cold
Menstrual cycle is heavier/ more irregular
Muscle weakness
Bradycardia
Hypothyroidism in infants
Feeding problems
Poor growth
Poor weight gain
Jaundice
Constipation
Poor muscle tone
Hoarse crying
Soft swelling or bulge near belly button- umbilical hernia
Causes of hypothyroidism
Thyroiditis- inflame of thyroid gland, lowers hormone production
Hashimoto’s disease- painless disease, autoimmune condition where body cells attack thyroid, inherited
Postpartum thyroiditis- 5-9%, usually temporary
Iodine deficiency- iodine used to produce hormones in thyroid, common around world
Non-functioning thyroid gland- congenital, screening blood tests
Hyperthyroidism in children and teens
Similar in adults
Poor growth that leads to short stature
Delayed development of permanent teeth
Delayed puberty
Poor mental development
Hyperthyroidism
Too much thyroid hormone produced by thyroid gland
Hyperthyroidism S+S
Sometimes looks like other health problems
Losing weight unintentionally
Tachycardia
Arrhythmia
Heart palpitations
Tremor- usually small trembling in hands/fingers
Fatigue
Muscle weakness
Thinning hair
Enlarged thyroid gland
Causes of hyperthyroidism
Grave’s disease- entire thyroid gland may be overactive and produce too much
Nodules- overreactive in thyroid gland, single= toxic autonomously functioning thyroid nodule, several= toxic multi-nodular goiter
Excessive iodine- too much= inc hormone production
Cushing’s disease
- Cushing syndrome occurs when your body has too much of the hormone cortisol over time
- This can result from taking oral corticosteroid medication, or your body might produce too much cortisol
Cushing’s cause
- Cushing syndrome is caused by there being too much of the hormone cortisol in the body
- Cortisol is produced in the adrenal glands and plays a variety of roles in the body, which is why Cushing syndrome has such a wide range of symptoms
Cushings population
- Females, aged 20-50
- People who take steroid medication
Cushing’s risks
- Sex
o Females - Younger adults
o 20 – 50 - Taking oral steroids for long periods of time
Cushing’s S+S
- Symptoms vary depending on the levels of excess cortisol
- Common signs
o Weight gain and fatty tissue deposits, particularly around the midsection and upper back, in the face (moon face) and between the shoulders (buffalo hump)
o Pink or purple stretch marks (striae) on the skin of the abdomen, thighs, breasts and arms
o Thinning, fragile skin that bruises easily
o Slow healing cuts, insect bites and infections
o Acne
Cushing’s female S+S
o Thicker or more visible body and facial hair (hirsutism)
o Irregular or absent menstrual periods
Cushing’s male S+Sq
o Decreased sex drive
o Decreased fertility
o Erectile dysfunction
Cushing’s prognosis
- Can be cured in most cases, although it may take some time for symptoms to ease
- If left untreated it can be fatal
- Treatment involves
o Reducing corticosteroid use
o Surgery
If its caused by a tumour
o Radiation therapy
o Medication
o Lifestyle changes
Increase activities slowly
Eat sensibly
Monitor mental health
Soothe aches and pains with hot baths, massages and low-impact exercises
Addisons disease
- An uncommon illness that occurs when the body doesn’t make enough of certain hormones
Cortisol, aldosterone - Also called adrenal insufficiency
Addisons cause
- Caused by damage to the adrenal glands
- Damage to the adrenal glands results in too little of the hormone cortisol, and often, the hormone aldosterone
Addisons population
- Women aged between 30 and 50
Addisons risks
- Sex
o Female - Age
o Can affect anyone
o Most common between 30 and 50 - Some autoimmune diseases
o Type 1 diabetes
o Hypoparathyroidism - Certain genetic defects
Addisons S+S
- Symptoms usually happen slowly, often over months
- The disease can move slowly with people ignoring the symptoms, then a stress, such as an illness or injury makes symptoms worse
- Extreme fatigue
- Weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Areas of darkened skin
- Low blood pressure, even fainting
- Salt craving
- Hypoglycaemia
o Low blood sugar - Nausea, diarrhoea or vomiting
- Abdominal px
- Muscle and joint px
- Irritability
- Depression
- Body hair loss
- Sexual issues
Addisons prognosis
- Most people with the condition have a normal life span and are able to live an active life with few limitations
- However, many people do experience bouts of fatigue
- People with Addison’s disease are also more at risk of having associated health problems
o Diabetes
o Hypothyroidism - Treated by replacing the missing hormones with synthetic versions of them
- Prognosis is generally good
- People with Addison’s disease will have to take medicine for the rest of their lives but they can live happy, healthy lives while on this medication
Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Lupus is a disease that occurs when your body’s immune system attacks your own tissues and organs
- It’s an autoimmune disease
Lupus cause
auto immune disease
- Occurs when the immune system attacks healthy tissue in the body
- Likely that lupus results from a combination of your genetics and your environment
- It appears that people with an inherited predisposition for lupus may develop the diseasw when they come into contact with something in the environment that can trigger lupus
Lupus triggers
o Sunlight
o Infections
o Medications
Certain types of blood pressure medications
Antiseizure medications
Antibiotics
People with drug induced lupus usually get better when they stop taking the medication
Lupus population
- Females aged 15 to 45 from minority ethnic backgrounds
Lupus risk
- Sex
o More common in women - Age
o Can affect anyone
o Most often diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 45 - Race
o More common in African Americans, Hispanics and Asian Americans
Lupus S+S
- S&S may come on suddenly or develop slowly, may be mild or severe and may be temporary or permeant
- Some people have mild disease episodes, called flares, where S&S get worse for a while the improve or even disappear completely for a time
- Most common symptoms are
o Fatigue
o Fever
o Jt px, stiffness and swelling
o Butterfly shaped rash on the face that covers the cheeks and bridge of the nose or rashes elsewhere on the body
o Skin lesions that appear or worsen with sun exposure
o Fingers and toes that turn white or blue when exposed to cold or during stressful periods
o Shortness of breath
o Chest px
o Dry eyes
o Headaches
o Confusion
o Memory loss
Lupus prognosis
- The way lupus is treated depends on several factors including
o The symptoms and complications experienced
o Severity of the case
o Age
o Type of medications you may be taking
o General health
o Medical history - Chronic condition that will need to be managed regularly
- The goal of treatment is to get symptoms into remission (not active) and limit the amount og damage the disease does to the organs
- Lupus is unpredictable
- Common lupus medications include
o Steroids
Corticosteroids
Including prednisone
o Hydroxychloroquine
o Azathioprine
o Methotrexate belimumab
o Rituximab - No cure
- Condition can be managed to minimise the impact lupus has on your life, but it will never go away
Systemic sclerosis
- A group of rare diseases that involve the hardening and tightening of the skin
- May also cause problems in the blood vessels, internal organs and digestive tract
Systemic sclerosis
- Results from an overproduction and accumulation of collagen in body tissues
- Collagen is a fibrous type of protein that makes up the body’s connective tissues, including the skin
- The exact cause for this process to begin is unknown
- The body’s immune system is thought to play a role
- Most likely that scleroderma is cause by a combo of factors including
o Immune system problems
o Genetics
o Environmental factors
Systemic sclerosis population
Women
30-50
Systemic sclerosis S+S- skin related
o Hardening and tightening of the skin
o First parts of the body that are affected are the
Fingers
Hands
Feet
Face
o In some people the skin thickening can also involve the
Forearms
Upper arms
Chest
Abdomen
Lower legs
Thighs
o Early symptoms include swelling and itching
o Affected skin can become lighter or darker in colour and may look shiny because of the tightness
o Some people also experience small red spots – telangiectasia – on their hands and face
o Calcium deposits can form under the skin
Especially at the fingertips
Digestive sclerosis S+S
o Heart burn
o Difficulty swallowing
o Bloating
o Diarrhoea
o Constipation
o Faecal incontinence
Heart S+S sclerosis
o Irregular heartbeat
o Heart failure may also occur in some people
Lung problems sclerosis S+S
o Shortness of breath
o Decreased exercise tolerance
o Dizziness
o Pulmonary hypertension
Sclerosis prognosis
- No cure
- Can live a healthy life with this disease
- Treatment is directed at controlling and managing the symptoms
- Because scleroderma can have many symptoms, a combo of approaches is often needed to treat and manage the disease
o Skin treatments
o Digestive remedies
o Treatment for lung disease - Management for scleroderma
o Exercise
o Jt protection
o Skin protection
o Diet
o Dental care
o Stress management
PMR
- Inflammatory disorder that causes muscle P and stiffness, especially in shoulders, neck and hips
PMR cause
- Unknown
- Genetics- certain genes and gene variations can inc susceptibility
- Enviro exposure- virus may act as trigger
PMR population
65+
PMR risk
- Age- 70-80
- Women 2-3x
- Race- northern European or Scandinavian
PMR S+S
- Usually bilateral
- Aches/P in shoulders, hip and neck
- Stiffness particularly in morning/after period of inactivity
- Mild fever
- Fatigue
- Unintended weight loss
- Depression
PMR prognosis
- Most eventually recover entirely from the disease or within 5 years
Corticosteroid- prednisolone
