Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases
Endocrinology and metabolic diseases are common in our society, as in the rest of the world, and their incidence is steadily increasing. In addition to their prevalence, endocrinology and metabolic diseases encompass a wide range of conditions involving many systems and organs.
What Is The Endocrine System?
The endocrine system is a system made up of endocrine glands.
Endocrine glands are organs that synthesize and secrete hormones. Hormones control various activities in our body. Different types of hormones regulate reproduction, metabolism, growth, and development. Hormones also control our response to the environment and help provide the appropriate amount of energy and nutrients necessary for our body’s functions.
The glands that make up the endocrine system are the hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, pancreas, ovaries (in women), testes (in men), adrenal glands (adipose tissue), and endothelium (cells lining the inner walls of blood vessels).
What Is An Endocrinologist?
An endocrinologist is a doctor who specializes in diseases of the endocrine system. Endocrinologists diagnose diseases affecting the glands. They generally know how to treat complex diseases that involve many systems in the body. When you have a problem related to the endocrine system, your primary care doctor will refer you to an endocrinologist.
What Kind Of Medical Education Do Endocrinologists Receive?
Endocrinologists complete six years of medical school, followed by a four- or five-year internal medicine residency program. They then spend three years learning how to diagnose and treat hormone-related diseases. In total, the training of an endocrinologist takes more than 13 years.
What Do Endocrinologists Do?
Endocrinologists are trained to diagnose and provide rehabilitation for hormone imbalances and problems. They deal with a wide variety of conditions, including:
- Thyroid
- Thyroid nodules (including fine-needle aspiration biopsy [FNAB] of the thyroid under ultrasound guidance)
- Thyroid cancers
- Thyroiditis
- Thyrotoxicosis
- Hyperthyroidism (Graves’ disease, toxic adenoma, toxic multinodular goiter, thyroid storm)
- Hypothyroidism (primary hypothyroidism, central hypothyroidism, congenital hypothyroidism, myxedema coma)
- Goiter, iodine metabolism
- Parathyroid diseases
- Hyperparathyroidism
- Hypoparathyroidism
- Diabetes mellitus (including insulin pump therapies)
- Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Diseases related to lipid metabolism (lipid metabolism disorders)
- Metabolic disorders
- Overproduction or underproduction of hormones
- Osteoporosis
- Bone tissue diseases
- Osteomalacia
- Paget’s disease
- Adrenal gland diseases
- Adrenal adenomas
- Incidentalomas
- Cushing’s syndrome
- Addison’s disease
- Adrenal crisis
- Mineralocorticoids and their abnormalities (aldosteronism)
- Pheochromocytoma
- Multiple endocrine diseases
- Pituitary gland tumors
- Acromegaly
- Prolactinoma
- Non-functional pituitary adenoma
- Infertility
- Growth retardation (short stature)
- Tumors of the glands
- Obesity
- Metabolic syndrome and its treatment
Endocrinologists may also order certain tests to evaluate how the glands are functioning.
