TOPIC 9 - endocrinology Flashcards
what are the main endocrine glands?
- hypothalamus
- pituitary
- thyroid
- parathyroid
- pancreas
- adrenals
- ovaries/testicles
what does the pituitary gland control?
most glands in the body
what two lobes is the pituitary gland split into?
anterior pituitary
posterior pituitary
what does the anterior pituitary do?
produces various hormones
what does the posterior pituitary do?
stores various hormones produced by hypothalamus
what hormones does the anterior pituitary produce?
- GH: Growth Hormone
- ACTH: adrenocorticotrophic hormone
- Gonadotrophins: FSH/LH
- TSH: thyroid stimulating hormone/thyrotrophin
- PRL: prolactin
what does GH do?
growth hormone, for skeletal growth
what does ACTH do?
adrenocorticotrophic hormone, stimulates adrenals to produce steroids
what do gonadotrophins (LH/FSH) do?
follicle stimulating hormone/luteinising hormone, stimulate testes/ovaries to produce sex hormones and sperm/ova
what does TSH do?
thyroid stimulating hormone, stimulates thyroid to produce thyroid hormones
what does prolactin do?
PRL, stimulates breast milk production
what does ADH do?
antidiuretic hormone, stimulates water reabsorption by the kidneys
what does oxytocin do?
helps uterine contractions during labour
what controls the anterior pituitary gland?
hypothalamus
what stimulates ACTH secretion?
corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH)
what stimulates GH secretion?
growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH)
what stimulates TSH secretion?
thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH)
what stimulates FSH and LH secretion?
gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH)
what stimulates prolactin secretion?
prolactin releasing hormone does not exist and prolactin is under the inhibitory effect of the hypothalamus
what is the effect on prolactin if we cut the connection between the hypothalamus and pituitary gland?
increase levels of prolactin as we no longer have the inhibitory effect of the hypothalamus
what switches off ACTH and CRH?
cortisol
what switches off GH and GHRH?
growth hormone
which hormone switches off TSH and TRH?
thyroid hormone
which hormone switches off FSH/LH and GnRH?
sex hormones
what process switches hormone secretion off?
negative feedback
what are the 4 glands not controlled by the pituatry?
- adrenal medulla
- parathyroid
- pancreas
- gut hormones
what hormone does adrenal medulla produce?
adrenaline and noradrenaline
what does the parathyroid control?
Controls calcium levels
what is the thyroid gland composed of
- midline isthmus (just below the cricoid cartilage)
- right lobe
- left lobe
how are the thyroid cells arranged and what do they produce?
arranged in follicles and produce thyroid hormones
what other cell does the thyroid follicle contain and what does this produce?
C cells
produce calcitonin
(calcium metabolism only nothing to do with thyroid hormone)
•Pituitary gland does not control calcium secretion
how do thyroid hormones work?
interact with their receptors in various organs, thereby regulating gene expression and various aspects of organ function
what is calcium metabolism controlled by?
4 parathryoid glands sitting behind the thyroid
what other organs, other than the parathyroid are involved in calcium metabolism?
- Kidneys- Calcium excretion and production of active vitamin D
- Gut - Absorption of calcium
- Bone- Storage of calcium
- Thyroid
what are the adrenal glands composed of?
- adrenal cortex
- adrenal medulla
what does the adrenal cortex produce
- Corticosteroids (cortisol)
- Androgens (male hormones)
- Mineralocorticoid (aldosterone)
is cortisol essential for life?
- yes severe deficiency can be fatal
- inject person with cortisol when suspected even before results of test=save life
what do the adrenal medulla produce?
-Catecholamines (adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine)
does pituitary control the adrenal cortex?
controls part of the adrenal cortex
is catecholamine secretion controlled by the pituitary ?
no - related to BP
is mineralocorticoid (aldosterone) controlled by the pituitary?
no- related to renin-angiotensin system, which controls the blood pressure
- in low BP= increase in aldosterone secretion
where are the ovaries situated?
pelvis on either side of the uterus
what do the ovaries contain?
follicles (each containing an oocyte) at different stage of maturation during reproductive life
- limited no. of oocyte
what hormones control the female reproductive system?
- GnRH- which switches on and off
- FSH and LH
- Oestradiol- switches FSH off (- feedback) and LH on (+ feedback)
- Progesterone also produced by ovaries (- feedback on LH)
- Inhibin - only negative feedback
does the secretion of FSH and LH depend on the time of the cycle?
yes
FSH at first part cycle, LH at second part
where are testes found?
the scrotum- except in a minority with testicular maldescent
what are testes composed of?
- intersitial/Leydig cells
- Seminiferous tubules
- Sertoli cells
what do the intersitial/Leydig cells do?
produce testosterone
what do the Seminiferous tubules do?
made up of germ cells producing sperms
what do the Sertoli cells do?
help in sperm production and produce inhibin
are FSH and LH important in male hormone production?
yes
- FSH important for sperm production
- LH important for testosterone production
what is a primary abnormality of a gland?
when the abnormality comes from the gland itself
what is a secondary abnormality of a gland?
when the abnormality is influenced by something other than the gland- eg. the pituitary
what are the 3 main abnormalities that affect hormones?
- Hormonal over-secretion
- Hormonal under-secretion
- Tumour/nodules in the gland without affecting hormone secretion
what are the 3 main tests we do for hormonal abnormalities?
- Static tests
- Stimulation tests
- Suppression tests
why would we take a static test?
can diagnose abnormalities of thyroid and sex glands
-single blood sample will make diagnosis
in one with primary hyperthyroidism (thyroid hormone overproduction) what would we test for?
–Thyroid hormones (T3 and T4)
–TSH
-If primary hyperthyroidism (abnormality in thyroid itself independent from pituitary) is present then T3 and/or T4 is elevated with suppressed (undetectable) TSH
why would we take a stimulation test?
for suspected hormonal under-secretion where a static test is NOT ENOUGH (i.e. results are equivocal)
- stimulates gland to produce hormones
- If levels don’t go up drastically= person has under secretion in gland
- With mild cases can go undetectable
give an example of a specific stimulation test
- giving ACTH to test for adrenal insufficiency
- If an individual fails to respond to a stimulation test then gland failure is diagnosed
- Other examples: glucagon stimulation and insulin stress test for pituitary failure (tests for ACTH and GH response
what happens in an insulin stress test?
put person in state hyperglycaemia
so pituitary secretes hormones to raise glucose levels
this inc. ACTH
if levels fail to rise= diabetes
why would we use a suppression test
for some hormonal over-secretion
give examples of 2 suppression tests
–Giving steroids and testing for endogenous steroid production (external steroids should switch off internal steroid production)
–Giving glucose and testing GH secretion (glucose switches off GH secretion in normal individuals)
if both Free T4 levels are higher and TSH levels are lower than normal- what is the diagnosis ?
primary hyperthyroidism
if Free T4 levels are lower and TSH are higher than normal - diagnosis?
primary hyporthyroidism
more TSH due to negative feedback- trying to increase the Free T4 levels
if we have too much Free T4 and TSH- diagnosis?
secondary hyperthyrodism
problem in pitiuatry
what does over secretion of endocrine glands leads to?
benign tumours
what does under secretion of endocrine glands lead to?
gland destruction due to:
–Inflammation (including autoimmune conditions)
–Infarction
–Other
what is the last disease of endocrine glands?
Tumours/nodules with normal hormone production
how do we get prolactin oversecreation?
pituitary tumour secreting prolactin (prolactinoma)
what is the clinical presentation of overactive prolactin?
–Galactorrhoea (breast milk production)
–Menstural problems in women
–Amenorrhoea (no period) in women and sexual dysfunction in men
–Causes irregular periods
–Headaches and visual field problems in large tumours
how do we diagnose prolactin?
- Static test is enough- prolatictin test
* Pituitary MRI- to see if they have tumour
with what kind of tumours do we get defects in visual fields?
pituitary gland tumour