Thyroid and pituitary disease Flashcards
What is endocrine disease
dysfunction of hormone secreting glands
How are hormones regulated
negative feedback
What are the two ways hormone regulation goes wrong
PRIMARY
- gland failure (gland can’t make hormone)
SECONDARY
- control failure (gland isn’t being asked to make hormone)
what are the results of endocrine disease
widespread, multisystem effects
What is multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN)
people prone to getting tumours in one gland are prone to getting completely difference cancer in another gland
What are the 3 different types of MEN
MEN1
- parathyroid, pancreatic islets, pit gland (anterior)
- associated tumours (adrenal cortex, carcinoid, lipoma)
MEN2a
- parathyroid, medullary thyriod, phaeochromocytoma
MEN2b
- medullary thyroid, phaeochromocytoma, mucosal neuromas, marfanoid apprearance
what is a mucosal neuroma
lumps forming on oral mucosa
what does the pituitary gland do
- Control of many gland activities
- takes messages from the hypothalamus and fires them out to particular areas
What hormones are made in the anterior pituitary
- TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone)
- ACTH (adrenocorticotrophic hormone)
- GH (growth hormone)
- LH, FSH, prolactin
What hormones are made in the posterior pituitary
- ADH (anti diuretic hormone)
- oxytocin
Why do pituitary tumours tend to be multi system
because they squash an enclosed space
What are the 2 kinds of pituitary tumour
- Functional adenomas
- Non-functional adenomas
What is a functional adenoma
the tumour produces the hormone and keeps getting bigger. Problem is you can’t turn off the hormone as tumour doesn’t respond to normal signals
What disease is caused by a functional adenoma producing Prolactin/ACTH
- amenorrhoea-Galctorrhoea syndrome
- cushing’s disease
What disease is caused by a functional adenoma producing growth hormone
acromegaly
What are non-functioning adenomas
tumour doesn’t make a hormone, it just squashes gland
How are pituitary tumours often first picked up
they get tunnel vision due to effect on the optic nerve path
How are pituitary tumours treated
Trans-sphenoidal surgery
What happens if you have insufficient growth hormone
- growth failure in children
- metabolic changes in adults e.g. increased fat
What happens when you have excess growth hormone
- ‘giantism’ (children)
- acromegaly (adults)
what is the difference between giantism and acromegaly
Giantism (children) people are in proportion just really big
Acromegaly (adults) people are out of proportion as anything which grows by apposition will grow but nothing else
With thyroid disease (both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism) what is the common reason for its dysfunction
PRIMARY
i.e. the gland is the problem
what’s another word for hypothyroidism
myxoedema
what is the autoimmune disease which causes hyperthyroidism called
graves disease
how does graves disease occur
- immune system makes antibody which fits the TSH receptor on the thyroid gland
- gland makes more thyroid hormone
- it therefore gets exercised and increases in size (goitre)
- control system works fine but is overridden with TSH receptor protein