Endocrine Flashcards
What is endocrinology?
Study of endocrine glands and their secretions: hormones
What glands make up the endocrine system?
- Pituitary
- Throid
- Adrenal
- Pancreas
- Ovaries/Testes
What role does the pituitary gland have in homeostasis?
the master gland
extensive influence over other organs
linked to hypothalamus (which stimulates and inhibits pituitary hormones)
responsible for making hormones to stimulate organs to act
What does hypothalamus drive at birth?
Hunger Thirst Temperature Anger Fatigue
What is embryonic development of pituitary?
Develops around 3 weeks from 2 places - outpocketing of oral ectoderm and extension of neuroectoderm from diencephalon.
Around 8 weeks gestation the infundibulum grows downwards to develop into posterior lobe.
10 weeks you can start to detect growth hormone
What does the pituitary gland produce?
Anterior:
Prolactin Leutinizing/follicle stimulating hormone Adrenocorticotropic hormone Growth hormone Thyroid stimulating hormone
Posterior:
Antidiuretic hormone
Oxytocin (labour and lactation)
What issues can you have with the hormones?
Deficiency
Excess
resistance (a block to the action)
What congenital defects of the pituitary gland can you get?
Septo-optic dysplasia. (affects midline).
What is septa-optic dysplasia?
Optic nerve hypoplasia
Midline brain abnormalities
Hypopituitarism (lacking in all hormones)
What acquired disorders of pituitary/hypothalamus can you get?
Neoplastic:
- Craniophayngioma
- Optic glioma
- Astrocytoma
- Germ cell tumour
Inflammatory:
- Meningitis
- Autoimmune hypophysillis
- Landerhans cell histiocytosis
Trauma
Cranial Irradiation
What is hypopituitarism?
Reduction of all hormones
What are signs and symptoms of hypopituitarism?
Growth Hormone changes: Hypoglycaemia in infancy , growth failure in childhood
ACTH changes cause:
- hypoglycaemia
- jaundice
- hypotension
LH changes cause:
- micropenis
- Failure of puberty
TSH changes cause:
- jaundice
- poor growth
- tiredness, dry skin, hair loss
ADH changes:
- Cranial diabetes insipidus
What are treatments for hypopituitarism?
Human growth hormone - subset injections (no oral option)
Hydrocortisone
Testosterone injections
Levothroxine
What are 4 stages of growth?
Foetal
Infancy
Childhood
Puberty
what is grown in infancy most dependent upon?
Nutrition
What is average rate of growth in infancy?
25cm/year
What is growth in childhood most dependent on?
GH/IGF axis
What is rate of growth in childhood?
4-8cm/year
What is growth in puberty most dependent on?
Sex steroids and GH
What is rate of growth in puberty?
6-10cm/year
What are main hormones involved in growth?
Growth hormone
Insulin-like growth factor
Thyroid hormone
what medication can influence growth?
Asthma Sickle Cell Arthritis IBD Chronic Heart Disease CF Renal insufficiency
Basically steroids
What factors influence puberty?
Genetic background
Environment
General health of child
What aspects of general health influence puberty?
Adequate nutrition
obesity (increased BMI=early puberty)
Emotional and behaviours difficulties
Chronic disease
How does environment affect puberty?
Difficult to prove
Phytoestrogens (from carrots coffee etc)
Pesticides/herbicides (in Florida noted)
BPA (baby feeding botles/plastics)
What genetic factors can affect puberty?
family history
siblings pubertal milestones
FSH receptor
What is a prader orchidometer?
Beads to measure testicule volume in mls.
Main points: 4mls - puberty onset
10mls - start of adolescent growth spurt
12mls - peak heigh velocity (growing at fastest rate).
Up to 20mls.
When does menarche occur compared to height velocity?
After growth spurt - will have stopped growing.
When does facial hair/shaving occur compared to height velocity?
After growth spurt/stopped growing.
what is precocious puberty?
Early puberty.
True = early activation of hypothalamic-pituitary-gonandal axis
Pseudo = sex steroids secreted without activation of axis
What are some causes of true precocious puberty?
Organic CNS disruption: Tumours of hypothalamic-pituitary region. -Head Injury -Meningitis -Neurofibromatosis - Cerebral Palsy - Hydrocephalus
Cranial Surgery or Radiotherapy
What are some causes of pseudo-precocious puberty?
Sex Steroids from adrenal:
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
- Adrenal tumour
- Premature adrenarche (release of androgens)
- Cushing’s syndrome
Sex steroids from gonad: - Ovarian tumour McCune-Ablright Syndrome -Testotoxicosis -HCG secreting germ cell tumours
Exposure to exogenous steroids
What does Tanner staging mean in growth?
A2 G4 P3 (2/2)
A=axillary hair
G=genitalial
P=pubic hair
final = testicular volume.
Causes of delayed puberty?
Constitutional Delay of growth and puberty
Chronic disease
Central causes: Tumour/Irradiation/trauma
gonadotropin deficiency
Peripheral causes:
- Testicular damage
- Gonandal dysgenesis
- Chemo
What is treatment of delayed puberty?
Testosterone injections/gel
LH/FSH injections
What controls fluid in the body normally?
Hypothalamic centres - regulates thirst
It stimulates intake of free water and stimulaters ADH release
What is ADH
Anti Diuretic Hormone
Where does anti diuretic hormone made?
Made by hypothalamus
Stored in pituitary gland
What action does ADH have?
Stimulates the distal and collecting tubules of the kidneys - this increases reabsorption of the free water into cardiovascular system.
What is plasma osmolality?
The concentration of all chemical particles in the fluid part of the blood