Taylor Robitaille

January 4, 2010
Ms. Melita, pd. 3
Endocrinology outline
I. What is Endocrinology?
A. Endorcrinology is the branch of medicine dealing with the endocrine glands and their
secretions.
II. Parts of the endocrine system
A. Hypothalamus
1. Location
a. The lower central part of the brain.
2. Function
a. The Hypothalamus is the primary link between the endocrine and
nervous systems.
b. The Hypothalamus controls the pituitary gland by producing chemicals
that can stimulate or suppress pituitary hormone secretions.
B. Pituitary gland (the Master Gland)
1. Location
a. The base of the brain, beneath the hypothalamus.
2. Function
a. Anterior lobe
i. Regulates activities of the thyroid, adrenals, and reproductive
glands.
ii. Produces the following hormones:
growth hormone- stimulates the growth of bone and
body tissues and plays a role in the body's
handling of minerals and nutrients.
prolactin- activates milk production in breastfeeding
women.
thyrotropin- stimulates the thyroid gland to produce
thyroid hormones.
corticotropin- stimulates the adrenal gland to
produce certain hormones.
b. Posterior lobe
i. Releases a hormone called an antidiuretic, which controls the
balance of water in the body. Also produces oxytocin.
C. Thyroid
1. Location
a. The front section of the lower neck.
2. Function
a. Produces the thyroid hormones thyroxine and triiodothyronine. These
hormones control the rate at which cells burn fuels in order to
create energy. "The more thyroid hormone there is in a person's
bloodstream, the faster chemical reactions occur in the body."
D. Parathyroids
1. Location
a. Four small glands attatched to thyroid.
2. Function
a. Parathyroids release a parathyroid hormone to regulate calcium levels
in the bloodstream
E. Adrenal glands
1. Location
a. Two, on top of the two kidneys.
2. Function
a. Adrenal Cortex
i. Produces corticosteroids which are hormones that influence
 and regulate salt & water balance, the human body's
response to stress, metabolism, the immune system, and
sexual function and development.
b. Adrenal Medulla
i. Produces catecholamines, such as epinephrine, "AKA"
adrenaline, epinephrine increases blood pressure and heart
rate when the body experiences stress.
F. Pineal body
1. Location
a. The middle of the brain.
2. Function
a. Secretes melatonin, a hormone that may help regulate when you sleep
at night and when you wake in the morning.
G. Reproductive glands
1. Male Gonads
a. Location
i. Testes are located in the scrotum.
b. Function
i. Secrete hormones called androgens, the most important of
which is testosterone. These hormones determine changes
associated with puberty, like penis and height growth,
deepening voice, and growth in facial and pubic hair. Working
with hormones from the pituitary gland, testosterone also tells a
male's body when it's time to produce sperm in the testes.
2. Female Gonads
a. Location
i. Ovaries are located in a woman's pelvis.
b. Function
i. Produce eggs and secrete the hormones estrogen and
progesterone. Estrogen is involved in puberty. Estrogen and
progesterone are also involved in the regulation of a girl's
menstrual cycle. They also play a role in pregnancy.
III. Endocrine Disorders
A. Adrenal insufficiency.
1. What is it?
a. This condition occurs when the adrenal glands don't produce enough
corticosteroids.
2. Symptoms
a. Symptoms of adrenal insufficiency may include weakness, fatigue,
abdominal pain, nausea, dehydration, and skin changes.
3. Treatment
a. Doctors treat adrenal insufficiency with medications to replace
corticosteroid hormones.
B. Type 1 diabetes.
1. What is it?
a. When the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin, type 1 diabetes
occurs. In kids and teens, type 1 diabetes is usually an autoimmune
disorder, which means that some parts of the body's immune system
attack and destroy the cells of the pancreas that produce insulin.
2. Treatment
a. To control their blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of developing
diabetes problems, kids and teens with this condition need regular
injections of insulin.
C. Type 2 diabetes.
1. What is it?
a. Unlike type 1 diabetes, in which the body can't produce normal
 amounts of insulin, in type 2 diabetes the body can't respond to insulin
normally.
2. Symptoms
a. The afflicted tends to be overweight.
3. Treatment
a. Some kids and teens can control their blood sugar level with dietary
changes, exercise, and oral medications, but many will need to take
insulin injections like people with type 1 diabetes.
D. Growth hormone problems.
1. What is it?
a. Too much growth hormone in kids and teens who are still growing will
make their bones and other body parts grow excessively. This rare
condition is usually caused by a pituitary tumor. The opposite can
happen when a person has a pituitary glad that doesn't produce
enough growth hormone.
3. Treatment
a. Doctors may treat these growth problems with medication.
b. If the affliction is a pituitary tumor, it treated by removing the tumor.
E. Hyperthyroidism.
1. What is it?
a. A condition in which the levels of thyroid hormones in the blood are
very high. This causes the thyroid gland to become very active.
2. Treatment
a. Doctors may treat hyperthyroidism with medications, surgery, or
radiation treatments.
F. Hypothyroidism.
1. What is it?
a. A condition in which the levels of thyroid hormones in the blood are
very low. Thyroid hormone deficiency slows body processes and may
lead to fatigue, slow heart rate, dry skin, weight gain, and constipation.
2. Treatment
a. Doctors often treat this problem with medication.
G. Precocious puberty.
1. What is it?
a. If the pituitary glands release hormones that stimulate the gonads to
produce sex hormones too early, some kids may begin to go through
puberty at a very young age.
2. Treatment
a. Those who are affected by precocious puberty can be treated with
medication that will help them develop at a normal rate.
IV. Endocrinologists
A. Types of Endocrinologists
1. Practicing Endocrinologists
a. What do they do?
i. diagnose and treat hormone imbalances and problems by
helping to restore the normal balance of hormones in your
system.
1. Researching Endocrinologists
a. What do they do?
i. Conduct basic research to learn the way glands work, and
clinical research to learn the best methods to treat patients
with a hormone imbalance. Through research, endocrinologists
develop new drugs and treatments for hormone problems.
B. Education
1. Four years of medical school
2. Three or four years in an internship and residency program
3. Two or three years learning how to diagnose and treat hormone conditions.
4. Overall, an endocrinologist's training will take more than 10 years.
C. Salary
1. An Endocrinologist's salary can range anywhere from $163,968 to $211,416
per year, averaging at about $184,997