Endocrine Flashcards
Why is type 2 diabetes a public health issue?
- Preventable and increasing prevelance
- Common cause of mortality, disability, co-morbidity, reduced quality of life
- Major inequalities in prevelence and outcomes including BME communities and poorer outcomes
What are the 4 steps to reduce the impact of type 2 diabetes?
- Identifying people at risk
- Preventing diabetes
- Diagnosing diabetes earlier
- Effective management and supporting self management
Who is at risk of diabetes?
- Everyone due to obesogenic environment
- Sedentary job, sedentary leisure activities
- Diet high in calorie dense foods/ low in fruit and veg, pulses and wholegrains
What are the factors of the obesogenic environment?
- Physical environment e.g. TV remote controls, lifts, car culture
- Economic environment e.g. Cheap TV watching, expensive fruit and veg
- Sociocultural environment e.g. safety fears, family eating patterns
List some mechanisms that maintain obesity
- Physical/psychological- more weight= more difficult to exercise
- Psychological- Low self esteem and guilt, comfort eating
- Socioeconomic= Reduced opportunities, employment, relationships
Who is at risk of type 2 diabetes?
- Age, sex, ethnicity, family history
- Weight, BMI, waist circumference
- History of gestational diabetes
- Hypertension or vascular disease
How is diabetes/ pre-diabetes tested for?
- HbA1c
- Random capillary blood glucose
- Random venous blood glucose
- Fasting venous blood glucose
- Oral glucose golerance test
What is the diagnostic threshold for diabetes?
FBG ≥ 7.0 OR 2 hr Glu ≥ 11.1 mmol/l
List some methods of preventing diabetes
Sustained increase in physical activity
Sustained change in diet
Sustained weight loss
When is diabetes screened for?
- Screening as part of NHS health check
- Screening as part of CHD prevention
- Screening at review of hypertension management
List some methods of self-care for diabetes
Self monitoring
Diet- Support for changing eating patterns
Exercise- Support for increasing physical activity
Drugs- Support for taking medication
Education- Professionals/ expert patients
Peer support
What is the difference between endocrine and exocrine glands?
Endocrine glands pour secretions directly into the bloodstream, whereas exocrine glands use ducts
Where do endocrine hormones act?
- Blood borne= Act at distant sites
Where do paracrine hormones act?
- Act on nearby adjacent cells
Where do autocrine hormones act?
- Feedback on same cell that secreted hormone (acts on itself)
Describe the properties of water-soluble hormones
- Transported unbound
- Bind to surface receptors on cell
- Short half life
- Cleared fast
- Often stored in vesicles
Describe the properties of fat-soluble hormones
- Transported bound to protein
- Diffuse into cells
- Have a long half-life
- Are cleared slowly
- Often synthesised on demand (e.g. Steroids)
What are the classes of hormones?
- Peptides
- Amines
- Iodothyronines
- Cholesterol derivatives and steroids
What is the difference between an endocrine gland and an exocrine gland?
Endocrine glands secrete substances/hormones directly into the bloodstream
Exocrine glands secrete substances/hormones into a duct before they enter the bloodstream
Acromegaly is the result of an overproduction of which pituitary hormone?
Growth Hormone
Adrenal insufficiency can be divided into primary insufficiency and secondary insufficiency, give 2 examples of each.
Primary: Addison’s, Surgical removal, Trauma, TB, Infarction, Invasion from tumour, ACTH resistance/blocking antibodies
Secondary: Steroids, Congenital, Corticiotropin releasing hormone deficiency, Trauma (fracture base of skull), Radiotherapy, Surgery, Neoplasm
Describe 2 investigations appropriate for diagnosing a patient with Cushing’s Disease
24hr urine collection
Blood cortisol test following dexamethasone
Explain on a cellular level how hyperglycaemia leads to insulin secretion
Hyperglycaemia leads to increase glucose uptake by cells
Glucose metabolism leads to increased levels of ATP within cell
Increased ATP causes K+ channels to close
Causes depolarisation of cell membrane
Ca2+ channels open and Ca2+ enters cell
Increased Ca2+ in cell causes exocytosis of insulin-containing vesicles
Insulin released by Pancreatic Beta cells / cells in Islets of Langerhans
Give 3 blood tests with values that are diagnostic for Diabetes Mellitus
Random plasma glucos = Score >11mmol/L
Fasting plasma glucose = Score > 7mmol/L
HbA1c = Score > 48
Give 2 examples of microvascular and macrovascular complications of DM
Microvascular= Retinopathy, Neuropathy Macrovascular= CVD, Cerebrovascular disease, Peripheral artery disease
Miranda, 35 year old lady presents to the GP complaining of weight loss, feeling hot all the time, diarrhoea and a tremor. When you examine her pulse is 92 bpm. She has goitre, palmar erythema and bulging eyes.
What condition do you suspect Miranda has?
Hyperthyroidism/ Grave’s Disease
Describe the levels of TSH, T3, T4 of a patient with Grave’s disease
TSH low, T3 raised, T4 raised
Name the thyroid autoantibodies also found on a patient with Graves disease’s blood test?
Thyroglobulin and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies
What are 2 treatment options for a patient with Grave’s disease?
Carbimazole
Beta Blockers
Radio Iodine therapy
Thyroidectomy
Give 5 signs of a patient with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis?
Bradycardia Reflexes relax slowly Ataxia Dry/thin hair + skin Yawning/drowsiness/coma Cold hands Ascites Round puffy face Defeated Demeanour Immobile Round ‘moon’ face
What medication is used to treat hypothyroidism?
Synthetic Levothyroxine (T4)
Name the 2 hormones produced by the posterior pituitary gland.
Antidiuretic Hormone
Oxytocin
What are the 2 main symptoms of patients with Diabetes Insipidus?
Polyuria
Polydipsia
Patient presents with palpitations, headache, episodic sweating. Blood tests reveal raised plasma catecholamines.
What condition does this patient have?
Phaeochromocytoma
Which cells produce catecholamines
Cromaffin cells
Where are cromaffin cells found?
Adrenal medulla
What visual field defect would make you suspect a patient has a pituitary tumour?
Bitemporal hemianopia
Where does the anterior pituitary receive blood from?
Portal venous circulation of hypothalamus
When does growth hormone release peak?
At night
What is synergism?
Combined effects of two hormones amplified
Where is the pituitary gland?
A pocket of the sphenoid bone in the pituitary fossa.
Sits inferior to optic chiasm. On either side lies the cavernous sinuses
Connected to the hypothalamus via the infundibulum
What are the hormones produced by the anterior pituitary?
TSH ACTH FSH LH Growth hormone Prolactin
What are the functions of thyroid hormone?
Accelerates food metabolism
Increases protein synthesis
Enhances fat metabolism
Increase in ventilation rate
Increase in cardiac output and heart rate
Brain development during foetal life and postnatal development
Growth rate accelerated
What does the adrenal cortex’s zona glomerulosa produce?
Mineralocorticoids e.g. aldosterone
What does the adrenal cortex’s zona fasiculata produce?
Glucocorticoids e.g. Cortisol androgens
What does the adrenal cortex’s zona reticularis produce?
Androgens e.g. androstenedione and DHEA
What does the adrenal medulla produce?
Epinephrine and norepinephrine
What happens as part of the short-term stress response?
- Heart rate increases
- Blood pressure increases
- Bronchioles dilate
- Liver converts glycogen to glucose and releases glucose into blood
- Metabolic rate increases
- Blood flow changes (reducing digestive and urinary flow)
What happens as part of the long term stress response?
- Kidney retain sodium and water
- Blood vol and pressure rise
- Blood glucose increases
- Immune system suppressed
- Proteins and fats are converted to glucose
What hormone acts on leydig cells, and what do they produce?
- LH acts on leydig cells
- Produces testosterone
What hormone acts on sertoli cells, and what do they produce?
- FSH acts on sertoli cells
- Produces androgen-binding protein and inhibin
What are the hypophysiotropic hormones?
- Corticotropin releasing hormone
- GHRH
- Thyrotropin releasing hormone
- Gonadotropin releasing hormone
- Dopamine
What hormone inhibits release of GHRH?
Somatostatin
What hormone inhibits release of prolactin?
Dopamine
What is appetite?
Desire to eat food
What is satiety?
Feeling of fullness- disappearance of appetite after a meal
What is the BMI range for being underweight?
<18.5
What is the normal BMI range?
18.5-24.9
What is the overweight BMI range?
25.0-29.9
What is the obese BMI range?
30.0-39.9
What is the morbidly obese BMI range?
> 40.0
What hormones/ chemicals/ Factors act to decrease appetite?
- Leptin
- Insulin
- POMC
- CCK
- Peptide YY
- GLP
What hormones/ Chemicals/ Factors act to increase appetite?
- Ghrelin
- Olfactory, gustatory, congestive and visual stimuli
What are the actions of cholecystokinin?
- Delays gastric emptying
- Gall bladder contraction
- Insulin release
What are the actions of ghrelin?
- Stimulates GH release
- Stimulates appetite
List some complications of obesity?
- Type II diabetes
- Hypertension
- Coronary artery disease
- Stroke
- Osteoarthritis
- Obstructive sleep apnoea
- Carcinoma= Breast, endometrium, prostate, colon
What are the actions of parathyroid hormone?
- Increased Ca2+ reabsorption in the kidney
- Increased 1 alpha-hydroxylation of 25-OH vitamin D in the kidney
- Decreased phosphate reabsorption in the kidney
- Increased bone remodelling
- Indirectly increases Ca2+ reabsorption in the intestine
What are the consequences of hypocalcaemia?
Paraesthesia Muscle spasm Seizures Basal ganglia calcification Cataracts ECG abnormalities (long QT)
How do you calculate corrected calcium?
Total serum calcium + 0.02 x(40-serum albumin)
What is Chvostek’s sign?
Tap over facial nerve and look for spasm of facial muscles
Shown in hypocalcaemia
What is Trousseau’s sign?
Inflate the blood pressure cuff to 20mmHg above systolic for 5 mins and it will cause a characteristic spasm of the hand
Shown in hypocalcaemia
What are the causes of hypoparathyroidism?
- Genetics – recessive, dominant, X-linked
- Autoimmune – isolated, polyglandular type 1
- Infiltration of the parathyroid glands by iron overload
- Surgery - parathyroidectomy
- Radiation
- Magnesium deficiency
- Syndrome= Di George, HDR, Kenney-Caffey
What is pseudohypoparathyroidism?
Resistance to parathyroid hormone
What are the clinical features of pseudohypoparathyroidism?
Short stature Obesity Round faces Mild learning difficulties Short fourth metacarpals Other hormone resistance
What are the symptoms of hypercalcaemia?
Thirst Polyuria Nausea Constipation Confusion Can lead to coma
What are the consequences of hypercalcaemia?
Renal stones
ECG abnormalities
What are the causes of hypercalcaemia?
Malignancy
Primary hyperparathyroidism
Thiazides
Sarcoidosis
What are the consequences of primary hyperparathyroidism?
Bones- Osteitis fibrosa cystica, osteoporosis
Kidney stones
Psychic groans- confusion
Abdominal moans- Constipation, acute pancreatitis
What are the PTH, calcium, and phosphate levels in vit D deficiency?
PTH= High Calcium= Low Phosphate= Low
What are the PTH, calcium, and phosphate levels in hypoparathyroidism?
PTH= Low Calcium= Low Phosphate= High
What are the PTH, calcium, and phosphate levels in pseudohypoparathyroidism?
PTH= High Calcium= Low Phosphate= High
What are the PTH, calcium, and phosphate levels in primary hyperparathyroidism?
PTH= High Calcium= High Phosphate= Low
What is diabetes mellitus?
Syndrome of chronic hyperglycemia due to relative insulin deficiency, resistance or both.
What are normal parameters for blood glucose?
3.5-8.0mmol/L
Why can’t the brain use free fatty acids for energy?
FFAs cannot cross the BBB
What are the actions of insulin?
- Decreases glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis
- Increases glucose uptake
- Suppresses lipolysis, and breakdown of muscles
Where is insulin produced?
Beta cells of the islets of langerhans
What is C peptide?
proinsulin is formed of C peptide and insulin
What does a lack of C peptide in the blood show?
That the insulin present in the blood is synthetic not natural
What are the actions of glucagon?
- Increases glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis
- Reduces peripheral glucose uptake
- Stimulates peripheral release of gluconeogenic precursors
- Stimulates lipolysis and muscle glycogenolysis and breakdown
Where is GLUT-1 and what is its role?
Enables basal NON-INSULIN-STIMULATED glucose uptake into many cells
Where is GLUT-2 and what is its role?
Found in beta-cells of the pancreas. Transports glucose into the beta-cell - enables these cells to sense glucose levels
Where is GLUT-3 and what is its role?
Enables non-insulin-mediated glucose uptake into brain neurons & placenta
Where is GLUT-4 and what is its role?
Mediates much of the peripheral action of insulin. It is the channel through which glucose is taken up into muscle and adipose tissue cells following stimulation of the insulin receptor.
List some conditions which diabetes can be secondary to
Pancreatic= Pancreatectomy, chronic pancreatitis, haemochromatosis
Endocrine= Acromegaly and Cushing’s disease
Drug induced
Briefly explain the GH, IGF-1 axis
GHRH is produced by the hypothalamus, which causes the pituitary to release more GH. GH triggers the liver to produce more IGF-1, which then reduces the amount of GH released. Somatostatin can be released by the hypothalamus and inhibit GH.
What are the 3 vital signs of presentation of pituitary tumour?
- Pressure on local structure
- Pressure on normal pituitary
- Functioning tumour
What can pressure on local structures due to a pituitary tumour cause?
- Bitemporal hemianopia
- IIIrd nerve palsy
- Headaches
- Hydrocephalus
What can pressure on the pituitary due to a pituitary tumour cause?
Hypopituitarism= Pale, no body hair, central obesity
What can functioning pituitary tumours cause?
- Prolactinoma
- Acromegaly
- Cushing’s disease