Histo: Endocrine disease Flashcards
What types of cell are the anterior and posterior pituitary made up of?
Anterior = epithelial cells (derived from developing oral cavity)
Posterior = nerve cells
What is the blood supply to the anterior pituitary?
Pituitary portal system
Where do the nerves that make up the posterior pituitary originate?
Paraventricular nucleus
Supraoptic nucleus
What are the 3 symptoms catergories of pituitary disease?
- Hyperpituitarism symptoms - due to excess hormone secretion
- Hypopituitarism symptoms - due to deficiency of hormone secretion
- Mass effect symptoms
What is the most common cause of hyperpituitarism?
Functional adenoma
- Orignally classified by morphology of predominant cell type (e.g. acidophil, basophil, chromophobe)
- Now classified by hormone produced
What is the most common type of pituitary adenoma?
Prolactinoma
What is a microadenoma?
A pituitary adenoma with a diameter < 1 cm
Outline the clinical features of prolactinoma.
- Amenorrhoea
- Galactorrhoea
- Loss of libido
- Infertility
What are the clinical manifestations of growth hormone adenomas?
- Gigantism (prepubertal children)
- Acromegaly (adults)
- Diabetes
- Muscle weakness
- Hypertension
- Heart failure
What disease is caused by corticotroph cell adenomas?
Cushing’s disease
List some causes of hypopituitarism.
- Non-secretory pituitary adenoma
- Ischaemic necrosis
- Iatrogenic (surgery, radiotherapy)
What is the most common cause of ischaemic necrosis of the pituitary gland?
Sheehan’s syndrome - the pituitary enlarges during pregnancy and is more susceptible to ischaemia. A post-partum haemorrhage may induce ischaemia.
Other causes: DIC, sickle cell anaemia, shock
List some clinical features of hypopituitarism.
- Growth failure in children (pituitary dwarfism)
- Gonadotrophin deficiency - amenorrhoea and infertility (women); impotence and loss of libido (men)
- Hypothyroidism and hypoadrenalism
- Prolactin deficiency - failure of post-partum lactation
Which hormones are produced by the posterior pituitary?
ADH and oxytocin
Which conditions involve ADH?
Diabetes insipidus
SIADH
List some consequences of the local mass effect of pituitary tumours.
- Bitemporal hemianopia (optic chiasm)
- Headaches (raised ICP)
- Obstructive hydrocephalus
Describe the histological appearance of the thyroid gland.
- Arranged into follicles with a small amount of stromal tissue between them
- They are lined by epithelial cells and have a large amount of colloid in the middle
- Parafollicular cells are found between the follicles
Describe the physiological response of the thyroid gland to TSH.
- Stimulating of TSH receptors leads to pinocytosis of the colloid by the thyroid follicular cells and promotes the conversion of thyroglobulin into T3 and T4
- Release of thyroid hormones into the circulation results in a rise in basal metabolic rate
Which hormone do parafollicular cells produce?
Calcitonin - this promotes the absorption of calcium by the skeletal system
What is a non-toxic goitre?
Enlargement of the thyroid gland without overproduction of thyroid hormones
What is the most common cause of non-toxic goitre?
Iodine deficiency - leads to impaired thyroid hormone synthesis
Other causes involves hereditary enzyme defects
List some primary and secondary causes of thyrotoxicosis.
Primary
- Graves’ disease
- Toxic multinodular goitre/adenoma
- Thyroiditis
Secondary
- TSH-secreting pituitary adenoma (rare)
List some causes of thyrotoxicosis that are not associated with the thyroid gland.
- Struma ovarii - ovarian teratoma with ectopic thyroid hormone production
- Factitious thyrotoxicosis - exogenous thyroid hormone intake
What is the most common cause of endogenous hyperthyroidism?
Grave’s disease
Which antibodies are often seen in Graves’ disease?
- TSH receptor
- Thyroglobulin (TG)
- Thyroid peroxidase (TPO)
Describe the effect of TSH receptor-stimulating antibodies.
They stimulate thyroid hormone release and increase proliferation of the thyroid epithelium.
What is the triad of Grave’s?
- Hyperthyroidism
- Infiltrative ophthalmopathy - exopthalmos (40%)
- Infiltrative dermopathy - pretibial myoedema (minority)
Also associated with other autoimmune diseases e.g. SLE, T1DM, pernicious anaemia, Addison’s
List some primary and secondary causes of hypothyroidism.
Primary
- Post-ablative
- Autoimmune (Hashimoto’s)
- Iodine deficiency
- Congenital biosynthetic defect
Secondary
- Pituitary or hypothalamic failure (uncommon)
Describe the presentation of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
- Painless enlargement of the thyroid gland
- Symptoms of hypothyroidism.