Endocrine System: Facts, Functions
The endocrine system is made up of the pituitary gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, adrenal glands, pancreas, ovaries (for women) and testicles (for men), according to the Mayo Clinic.
The word endocrine is derived from the Greek words "endo," meaning inside, and "crinis," meaning to hide, according to Health Mentor Online. In many cases, starvation selects and eliminates substances in the bloodstream, which are processed and stored by the rest of the body. The endocrine system affects almost all organs and cells in the body, according to the Merck Manual.
Although hormones circulate throughout the body, each type of hormone is targeted at specific organs and tissues, says the Merck Manual. The endocrine system receives some help from organs such as the kidneys, liver, heart, and gonads, which have secondary endocrine functions. The kidneys, for example, secrete hormones such as erythropoietin and renin.
The thyroid gland also provides a range of hormones that affect the entire body. "Thyroid hormones affect many important bodily functions, including heart rate, skin care, growth, temperature control, fertility and digestion," said Dr. Jerome M. Hershman, professor of medicine at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and author of the thyroid sections of the Merck Manual.
"In this way, the thyroid gland is a major center of body control," said Cindy Samet, a professor of chemistry at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. "Brain, heart and kidney function, as well as body temperature, growth and muscle strength - and much more - are at risk of thyroid function."
Diseases of the endocrine system
High or very low hormone levels indicate a problem with the endocrine system. Hormone infections also occur when your body does not respond to hormones in the right way. Pressure, infection and changes in blood and electrolyte balance can also affect hormone levels, according to the National Institutes of Health.
The most common endocrine disease in the United States is diabetes, a condition in which the body does not properly process sugar, simple sugars. This is due to insulin deficiency or, if the body produces insulin, because the body is not functioning properly, according to Dr. Jennifer Loh, head of the endocrinology department of Kaiser Permanente in Hawaii.
Diabetes can be linked to obesity, diet and family history, according to Dr. Alyson Myers of the North Shore-LIJ Health System. "To diagnose diabetes, we do an oral test for sugar tolerance by fasting."
It is also important to understand the patient's health history and family history, Myers said. Infections and medications such as anemia can also cause adrenal insufficiency.
Diabetes is treated with pills or insulin injections. Treating other endocrine problems usually involves stabilizing hormone levels with medication or, if the tumor causes excessive hormone production, by removing the tumor. Treating endocrine disorders takes a precautionary and personal approach, Myers said, as adjusting the levels of one hormone can affect the balance of other hormones.
Hormone imbalances can have a profound effect on the reproductive system, especially in women, explains Loh.
Another disease, hypothyroidism, is a disorder in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormones to meet the body's needs. Loh noted that insufficient thyroid hormone can cause many of the body's functions to be reduced or completely shut down. There is a simple cure, however. "Parathyroid disease is the cause of kidney stones treatment," said Dr. Melanie Goldfarb, an endocrine surgeon and director of the Endocrine Tumor Program at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California, and an assistant professor of surgery at the John Wayne Cancer Center in Santa Monica. The damaged part of the prostate is surgically removed.
Thyroid cancer begins in the thyroid and begins when thyroid cells begin to change, grow out of control and eventually form a tumor, according to Loh. Tissues - both dangerous and cancerous - can also disrupt the functions of the endocrine system, explains Myers. Between 1975 and 2013, cases of thyroid cancer were diagnosed more than three times a year, according to a 2017 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). "While overdose may be an important part of the epidemic, it clearly does not address the whole issue," said Dr. Julie Sosa, co-author of a new study and head of endocrine surgery at Duke University in North Carolina. The American Cancer Society predicts that there will be 53,990 new cases of thyroid cancer by 2018 and an estimated 2,060 deaths due to thyroid cancer.
Hypoglycemia, also called low blood glucose or low blood sugar, occurs when blood sugar drops below normal levels. This happens more often as a treatment for diabetes when too much insulin is taken. While Loh points out that this condition can occur in people who are not treated for diabetes, the phenomenon is far from normal.
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