Endocrinology, common endocrine diseases- diabetes, thyroid, obesity, diagnosis and treatment of endocrinediseases

2. ENDOCRINOLOGY
The study of the endocrine system and its secretions (hormones)
is termed as Endocrinology.
ENDOCRINOLOGISTS
Endocrinologists are specially trained doctors who diagnose and
treat diseases related to the endocrine glands.
ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
The human endocrine system consists of a number of glands. These
glands produce and secrete hormones which control the body's
metabolism, growth, sexual development and function.

3. The following glands make up the endocrine
system :
 Hypothalamus
 Pituitary gland
 Pineal gland
 Thyroid
 Parathyroid
 Thymus
 Pancreas
 Adrenal gland
 Testes
 Ovaries

4. Endocrine diseases
There are three broad groups of endocrine disorders:
1. Endocrine gland hyposecretion - when the gland is not
producing enough. It can lead to hormone deficiency.
2. Endocrine gland hypersecretion - when the gland is
overactive and produces too much hormone. It can lead to
excess levels of certain hormones.
3. Tumors of endocrine glands - Endocrine disease due to the
development of lesions. These may be malignant (cancerous) or
benign (non-cancerous).

5. Common Diseases of the Endocrine System :
Diabetes:
Diabetes mellitus (DM), commonly referred to
as diabetes, is a disease that affects your body’s ability to
produce or use insulin. It is of 2 types-
•Type 1 diabetes: The body immune system destroys insulin
producing cells, results in little or no production of insulin
•Type 2 diabetes: The body does not use the
produced insulin or it is resistant to the insulin.
Symptoms of high blood sugar include frequent urination, increased
thirst and increased hunger. If left untreated, diabetes can cause
many complications.

6. Diagnosis:
Testing for diabetes includes:
1)FPG(Fasting Plasma Glucose Test)
The FPG test is a blood test that determines the amount of
glucose (sugar) present in the blood after an overnight fast (not
eating for at least 8 hours). A fasting blood glucose level between 100
and 125 mg/dl means a person has pre-diabetes. A fasting blood
glucose level of 126 mg/dl or higher means a person has diabetes
2)OGTT (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test)
It is a medical test in which glucose is given and blood
samples taken afterward to determine how quickly it is cleared from
the blood.

9. Treatment:
•Healthy eating.
•Regular exercise
•Possibly, diabetes medication or insulin therapy
•Blood sugar monitoring

10. Thyroidism:
Hypothyroidism:
Hypothyroidism is when your thyroid
gland does not make enough thyroid
hormones. It is also called underactive
thyroid. This slows down many of your
body's functions, like your metabolism.
Hyperthyroidism:
Hyperthyroidism is overactive thyroid,
causes your thyroid to make more thyroid
hormone than your body needs. This
speeds up many of your body's functions,
like your metabolism and heart rate.

11. Diagnosis:
•Patient health history
•Physical examination
•Blood test :Testing the level of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)
in your blood
•Radioactive iodine uptake test: For this test, you swallow a liquid
or capsule that holds a small dose of radioactive iodine
(radioiodine). The radioiodine collects in your thyroid because your
thyroid uses iodine to make thyroid hormone.
•Thyroid ultrasound.

12. Treatment:
Hypothyroidism:
Medicine : manmade thyroid hormone pills
Hyperthyroidism:
Medicine:
•Anti-thyroid medicine: blocks thyroid from making thyroid
hormone
•Beta-blocker: blocks the effect of thyroid hormone on your
body
Radioiodine: kills the thyroid cells that make thyroid hormone
Often, this causes permanent hypothyroidism.
Surgery: Thyroid surgery removes most or all of the thyroid. This
may cause permanent hypothyroidism.

13. Hypertension:
•Hypertension, also called as “High blood pressure”, it is a risk
factor for heart disease.
•Hypertension is mainly because of too much aldosterone, a
hormone produced in the adrenal glands.

14. Diagnosis :
• Blood pressure is measured using sphygmomanometer.
•The person is said to have high blood pressure if readings
blood pressure reading is consistently 140/90 mmHg or above.

15. Treatment:
Lifestyle changes:
•Cut your salt intake
•Eat a healthy, low fat, balanced diet
•Stop smoking
•Avoid alcohol
• Drink less caffeine-rich drinks
Medication

16. Obesity:
Obesity or Overweight is defined as abnormal or excessive
fat accumulation that may impair health

17. Diagnosis:
•Complete medical history and physical examination
•Calculation of BMI(Body Mass Index)
BMI = weight (kilograms)
height2 (meters)
•Blood test: includes cholesterol test, Fasting plasma
glucose test(FPGT), Liver function test and Thyroid test.

18. Treatment:
•Dietary changes
•Exercise
•Prescription Medicine
•Weight loss surgery

19. Bone disorders:
Hormones protects bone tissue, when these
hormone levels are too low, bone lose calcium
and begins to weaken.
The major bone disorders includes
• Osteomalacia(Rickets): Osteomalacia refers
to a softening of your bones, often caused by a
vitamin D deficiency.
•Osteoporosis: which make your bones weak
and more likely to break.
•Osteogenesis imperfecta: makes your bones
brittle.

20. Diagnosis:
•Physical examination
•Lab tests on blood, urine, and other body fluids.
•X-ray: An X-ray can show injuries, such as fractures,
infections, arthritis, and other changes.
•Computed tomography scan (also called a CT scan): A CT
scan shows detailed images of any part of the body, including
the bones, muscles, fat, and organs. CT scans are more detailed
than general X-rays.
•Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): An MRI scan provides
detailed images of soft tissue, the bone marrow cavity, and
bone tumors.
•Bone densitometry: used to detect osteoporosis. The test
measures bone mass in the spine, hips, and arms.

21. Treatment:
•Osteotomy: Reshaping of bone thereby, reducing stress
•Bone grafting: transplanting healthy bone from another part
of body to the affected area
•Hip/Knee Replacement: Complex surgery to replace entire
damaged joint
•Core decompression: Procedure to remove inner layers of
bone to reduce pressure and increase blood flow

22. Other endocrine disorders
GROWTH DISORDER:
Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is a medical condition, caused
by problems arising in the pituitary gland, in which the body does not
produce enough growth hormone (GH).
REPRODUCTIVE/INFERTILITY:
Hormone Imbalance can cause Infertility and reproduction
problems.

23. EQUIPMENTS USED IN THE DEPARTMENT OF
ENDOCRINOLOGY:
The identification and treatment of problems in the endocrine
system needs some basic pieces of equipment that are explained
below:
Glucometer (or glucose meter) :
A Medical device for determining the approximate
concentration of glucose in the blood.

24. Insulin pump:
An insulin pump is a medical device used for the
administration of insulin in the treatment of diabetes mellitus
Bone densitometry
A test like an X-ray that quickly and accurately measures
the density of bone

25. Stadiometer :
A piece of medical equipment used for measuring human
height.
X Ray Machine:
An X-ray can show injuries, such as fractures,
infections, arthritis, and other changes.

26. MRI Machine( Magnetic Resonance Imaging):
A medical imaging technique to investigate the anatomy
and physiology of the body in both health and disease.
CT scan(Computer Tomography):
A CT scan, is a specialised X-ray test. It can give quite
clear pictures of the inside of your body. In particular, it can give
good pictures of soft tissues of the body which do not show on
ordinary X-ray pictures

27. Dialysis Machine:
Dialysis machine is used to remove waste and excess
water from the bloodstream. It is also known as Artificial
kidney.
ECG:
The Electrocardiograph (ECG) is used to assess the
electrical and muscular functions of the heart. It consists of
leads that are fixed to different areas to record the electrical
activity of the myocardial muscles. Based on this recording,
doctors can identify any anomalies in the heart and they
provide the treatment necessary to rectify these anomalies.
Dialysis Machine ECG Machine