Endocrinology Flashcards
Describe 7 of the most common endocrine organs
Hypothalamus/pituitary (in head) Thyroid (in neck) Parathyroid (behind thyroid) Pancreas (in abdomen) Adrenal (on top of kidneys) Ovaries / testes
what are the two types of pituitary glands and what are the basic differences
divided into two lobes
anterior - produces various hormones and controlled by the hypothalamus
posterior - stores various hormones produced by the hypothalamus
which hormones are released from the anterior pituitary and what are they stimulated by for release
GH growth hormone - due to GHRH
ACTH adrenocorticotrophic hormone - due to CRH
FSH follicle stimulating hormone- due to GnRH
LH luteinising hormone- due to GnRH
TSH thyroid stimulating hormone- due to TRH
PRL prolactin - no direct stimulation but under inhibitory effect of hypothalamus
what are the effects of these hormones GH ACTH LH / FSH TSH PRL
growth hormone - skeletal growth, important in children - excess in adults causes acromegaly
adrenocorticotrophin hormone - stimulates adrenals to produce steroids
LH/FSH - stimulate ovaries / etsticales to produce sex hormones (pulsatile)
TSH - stimulates thyroid to produce thyroid hormones
Prolactin - stimulates breast milk production
what are the posterior pituitary hormones and what do they do
ADH - stimulates water reabsorption baby kidneys
Oxytocin - helps uterine contractions during labour
what is made in the intermediate zone
melanocyte stimulating hormone
what does cortisol switch off
switch off release of ACTH and CRH
what does GH release switch off
GH and GHRH
what does thyroid hormones release switch off
TSH and TRH
what do sex hormones switch off
FSH/LH and GnRH
what is the anatomy of the thyroid made up of
midline isthmus
right lobe
left lobe
what cells make up the thyroid gland
cells are arranged in follicles and produce thyroid hormones
also have C cells which produce calcitonin for calcium metabolism
what are the effects of released thyroid hormones
interact with receptors in various organs regulating gene expression and aspects of organ function, interact with heart - too much of these hormones leads to tachycardia
what is the specific mechanism of hormone release from the thyroid gland
T4 (80% - inactive form) is converted to T3 (20% - active hormone) in different organs by deiodinase enzyme
TSH stimulates release of T3 and T4
both T3 and T4 have negative feedback on hypothalamus and pituitary glands
how is calcium metabolism controlled
mainly controlled y 4 parathyroid hormones - also controlled by the kidney (produces secretion and VIT D which helps with absorption of Ca)
the gut which absorbs calcium
bone stores calcium
thyroid gland produces calcitonin which reduces amount of Ca in which over stimulation can lead to osteoporosis (brittle bone)
what is the adrenal gland made up of
90% adrenal cortex
10% adrenal medulla
what is released by the adrenal cortex and what is it stimulated by
stimulated by the pituitary gland produces: corticosteroids (cortisol) androgens (male hormone) mineralcorticocoids (aldosterone - important in the RAS system to control blood pressure)
what is the adrenal medulla stimulated by and what does it release
stimulated by sympathetic preganglionic neurons
releases catecholamines such as A, NA, dopamine - which are related to blood pressure
where are the ovaries situated and what do they contain
either side of the uterus and contain follicles which has the oocyte depending on the stage of maturation
describe the life cycle of FSH and LH release from the ovary
first half of cycle - more FSH secretion from pituitary which means more oestrogen from ovary
second half - more LH secretion form pituitary which means more progesterone
what does inhibin do
negative feedback pituitary gland for FSH and LH
what effect will high levels of oestrogen do to hormones
negative feedback on FSH but positive feedback on LH
it can also either stimulate or inhibit GnRH release from hypothalamus
which cells in the testis produce testosterone
leydig cells
what do seminiferous tubules do
they are the site of germination, maturation and transport of sperm cells within the testes
if testosterone is too high what happens
inhibits hypothalamus via negative feedback which in combination with inhibin inhibit FSH and LH from the pituitary
what is the difference between primary and secondary over/under secretion
primary - problem with gland itself
when there is a problem with the influencer of the gland such as a problem with the pituitary gland telling another gland to produce too many or too little hormone
what is special about a tumour in a gland
it can be present without causing effect on the hormone it produces or its mechanism
what is a static test with thyroid as an example
tests for problems with thyroid, sex glands and prolactin secretion. Can immediately test for primary thyroid problems and can test for T£/4 and TSH levels
how would primary vs secondary differ in the thyroid gland
primary hyperthyroidism then T3 and or T4 is elevated with suppressed TSH
if secondary hyperthyroidism then T3/T4 is elevated with elevated TSH
what is a stimulation test give examples
for suspected hormonal under secretion where the static test is not enough
take blood, give hormone, test again, if individual fails to respond to hormone then gland failure
test for adrenal insufficiency by giving ACTH (synacthen test)
insulin stress test - increases insulin via injection and causes blood sugar levels to decrees making stressful situation on body - hopefully hormonal secretion occurs to try and increase blood sugar such as glucagon
what is a suppression test and give examples
for hormonal over secretion - hormone given should suppress natural production of hormone ie negative feedback
if still present then gland is ver producing - used to test for steroid production and glusgcoe for GH secretion (would switch off in normal situations)
what is over secretion and under secretion usually caused by
over - tumour in the gland
under - gland destruction due to inflammation or autoimmune conditions, infection etc