Endocrine Diseases Flashcards
What is endocrine disease?
Dysfunction of hormone secreting glands.
What is the difference between primary and secondary endocrine disease?
Primary- gland failure
Secondary- control failure
What is the relationship of the hypothalamus to the pituitary gland?
Hypothalamus produces releasing hormones, which stimulates either the anterior or posterior pituitary produce stimulating hormones, which act directly on tissues to cause effect.
Describe the difference between the anterior and posterior pituitary.
Anterior- releasing hormones from the hypothalamus pass into the anterior pituitary. This stimulates the release of stimulating hormones from the AP into the blood and carried through the body.
Posterior- Both vascular and neurological control can trigger the hormone release.
What hormones are produced in the anterior pituitary?
TSH, ACTH, GH, LH, FSH and prolactin
What hormones are produced in the posterior pituitary?
Antidiuretic hormone
Oxytocin
What is a common cause of pituitary tumours?
Dysfunction from adenomas.
Functional adenomas- produces an active hormone, tumour makes the gland produce more hormone than normal.
Non-functional adenoma- tissue has no secreting ability, mass effects, will compress other tissues.
As pituitary tumours grow, what common structure does it impact?
Optic chiasma
When the tumour grows up and outwards of the sella turcica, it compresses the central area of the optic chiasma .
Patient will have a narrower field of view.
What are the consequences of excess growth hormone?
Giantism in children
Acromegaly in adults
What is the process of excess GH?
GHRH released from the hypothalamus- released at a pulsatile rhythm at night.
Acts on AP- released GH from here.
Acts on the tissues- IGF-1 released from the tissues.
What factor is released to measure GH?
IGF-1
What are the signs and symptoms of acromegaly?
Enlarged supraorbital ridges
Broad nose
Thickened lips and soft tissues
Enlarged hands
Enlarged tongue
Spacing of teeth
“shrunk” dentures
Reverse overjet
T2DM
Cardiovascular disease- cardiac hypertrophy
What is hyperthyroidism?
Excess production of thyroid hormone.
Primary- within the gland, common
Secondary- control failure, issue with he hypothalamus, rare
What is hypothyroidism?
Thyroid hormone deficiency
Primary- common
Secondary- less common
What is the most common cause of Hyperthyroidism?
Grave’s disease- auto-antibodies develop which stimulates the TSH receptor, so the gland produces more thyroid hormone.
What are the other cases of hyperthyroidism?
Toxic multinodular goitre.
Toxic adenoma- tumour within the gland itself, causing an overproduction of thyroid hormone.
What are the signs and symptoms of hyperthyroidism?
Signs- warm moist skin, tachycardia, AF, increased blood pressure, tremor, hyperreflexia, eyelid retraction and lid lag.
Symptoms- hot and excess sweating, weight loss, diarrhoea, palpitations, muscle weakness, irritable, manic, anxious.
What is the most common cause of hypothyroidism?
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis- antibodies attack the gland itself, causes inflammation and gradual fibrosis of the gland and destruction of the thyroid tissue.