When it comes to “endocrine”, I think many people are familiar with it and unfamiliar with it. We are familiar with it because endocrine diseases, such as diabetes, thyroid disease and gout, have become commonplace. Here, let me take you into the mysterious world of endocrine to appreciate its magic and wonders! 1. What are the members of the endocrine family? The endocrine system is a huge family consisting of many endocrine glands and endocrine cells distributed in other tissues (such as heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, skin, etc.). The main endocrine glands in the human body are hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, gonads (including ovaries and testes), pancreatic islets, pineal gland, thymus and so on. The reason why endocrine glands and endocrine cells are so powerful is that they can secrete some special chemical substances – “hormones”, although the content of hormones in the blood is very low, but the biological activity is extremely high, and the role is not to be underestimated. 2.What is the duty of endocrine? The main function of endocrine glands is to synthesize and secrete hormones. Different glands secrete different hormones, and different hormones have different effects. For example, growth hormone can promote bone growth; thyroid hormone can enhance metabolism and growth and development; gonadotropin and sex hormones affect reproduction and secondary sexual characteristics of men and women; insulin is responsible for regulating blood sugar; aldosterone regulates water and salt balance; parathyroid hormone regulates calcium and phosphorus balance; adrenaline can make the small arteries in the skin and abdominal cavity contract and make the blood vessels in the heart and skeletal muscles dilate; norepinephrine has a positive effect on the whole body. Adrenaline has a strong vasoconstrictive effect on small arteries throughout the body (except coronary arteries), etc. The role of the endocrine system is more insidious and extensive than that of the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and limbs of the body. The glands of the endocrine system and the hormones they secrete affect every cell and organ of our body and their functions all the time and omnipresently, and play a very important role in regulating metabolism, growth and development, reproduction and aging, maintaining the stability of the internal environment and enhancing the adaptability of the body. The endocrine system is an important regulatory system of the human body, which plays the role of the highest regulator of the organism together with the nervous system. 3. How do endocrine glands regulate each other? Just like a unit, there are many endocrine glands in the body with a hierarchical relationship, the hypothalamus is the “supreme head” of many glands, the pituitary gland is the “middle cadre”, while the adrenal glands, pancreas, thyroid, parathyroid, gonad, etc. are the target glands. The adrenal glands, pancreas, thyroid, parathyroid, gonads and other target glands are equivalent to the “salesmen” who do the specific work of synthesizing and secreting various hormones that play specific roles in life activities. Simply put, the hypothalamus secretes various “hormone-releasing hormones” (e.g. thyrotropin-releasing hormone, adrenocorticotropin-releasing hormone, gonadotropin-releasing hormone, etc.) to induce the pituitary gland to secrete corresponding “hormone-releasing hormones” (e.g. thyrotropin, adrenaline, etc.). (e.g. thyroid hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, gonadotropin, etc.), and finally the latter acts on the respective endocrine glands (e.g. thyroid, adrenal, gonad, etc.) to secrete the corresponding hormones (e.g. thyroid hormone, adrenal hormone, gonadotropin, etc.), which is the “positive feedback regulation”. On the contrary, when the amount of hormones in peripheral blood or tissues is already sufficient, they will in turn “report” to their superiors (hypothalamus and pituitary gland), which will correspondingly reduce the release of “so-and-so hormone-releasing hormone” and “so-and-so hormone “This is “negative feedback regulation”. This shows that the endocrine system is a very precise regulatory system in the body, and it is because of its role that the physiological functions of the human body can operate normally and in an orderly manner. 4.What is endocrine disease? To put it simply, endocrine diseases refer to various diseases caused by excessive or insufficient secretion of hormones by endocrine glands. If the glands secrete too much hormone, it will lead to “hyperfunction”. For example, excessive secretion of thyroid hormone can lead to hyperthyroidism; excessive secretion of growth hormone can lead to gigantism or acromegaly; excessive secretion of hormones that regulate blood pressure (such as Excessive secretion of hormones that regulate blood pressure (such as aldosterone) can lead to endocrine hypertension. Conversely, if the hormones secreted by the glands are too low, “hypofunction” may occur. For example, insufficient secretion of thyroid hormone will lead to hypothyroidism; insufficient secretion of growth hormone will lead to pituitary dwarfism; low secretion of sex hormone will lead to lack of secondary sexual characteristics development at puberty, or impotence in men and low sexual desire in women. The low secretion of sex hormones may lead to the lack of development of secondary sexual characteristics at puberty, impotence in men and low libido in women. Endocrine diseases in a broader sense also include “metabolic diseases”, which refer to disorders in the metabolism of various substances in the body. For example, high blood sugar leads to diabetes; high blood lipids leads to hyperlipidemia; impaired purine metabolism leads to hyperuricemia or gout; excessive calorie intake leads to obesity; excessive calcium loss leads to osteoporosis, etc. The scope of consultation and treatment includes diseases of the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, adrenal glands, gonads, thyroid and parathyroid glands and other tissues and organs, as well as diabetes, dyslipidemia, hyperuricemia, obesity, osteoporosis and other diseases. 5.What clinical symptoms suggest that endocrinology should be looked at? Generally speaking, when the following symptoms appear in the body, you should think of consulting the endocrinology department in time: (1) polyuria, dry mouth, excessive drinking, weight loss, fatigue and weakness, suggesting possible “diabetes”; (2) fear of heat, excessive sweating, palpitations, polyphagia, emaciation, restlessness, insomnia, increased frequency of stool, protruding eyes, thick neck, suggesting possible (3) Adults are afraid of cold, depressed and drowsy, slow heartbeat, bloating and poor appetite, unresponsiveness, little speech, memory loss, weak face, dry skin, thick lips and large tongue, and hoarseness; children are short and dull, often suggesting possible hypothyroidism (“hypothyroidism”). “(4) Pain and tenderness in the thyroid gland, accompanied by fever, palpitations, sweating, and abnormally fast blood sedimentation, suggest subacute thyroiditis (referred to as “subacute thyroiditis”); (5) Recurrent episodes of toe joint swelling and pain, accompanied by (6) Unexplained back and leg pain, hunchback, significantly shorter height than in youth, and easy fracture, suggesting the presence of “osteoporosis”; (7) Intractable bone and joint pain, frequent spontaneous fractures, recurrent urinary tract stones, and (7) Recurrent urinary tract stones, loss of appetite, bloating and constipation, and high blood calcium, suggesting possible hyperparathyroidism (8) Hand and foot cramps (sometimes manifested as “epileptiform” seizures), numbness and tingling in the extremities, emotional agitation, and low blood calcium. (9) Hair loss, pale complexion, loss of appetite, weakness, swelling, loss of libido, amenorrhea, especially in women with a history of hemorrhage during childbirth, often suggesting hypoparathyroidism (hypoparathyroidism) “(10) Loss of appetite, diarrhea, fatigue, low blood pressure, darkening of the skin, weight loss, suggesting possible “hyperalgesia” (11) Full-moon face, flushed face, centripetal obesity, purple skin lines, body hair (12) Persistent hypertension with hypokalemia, weakness, nocturia, and periodic muscle weakness of the lower extremities, suggesting possible “primary aldosteronism”; (13) (13) paroxysmal hypertension with severe headache, tachycardia, profuse sweating, and pallor, suggesting possible “pheochromocytoma”; (14) irritable thirst, excessive drinking, polyuria, and decreased “urine specific gravity” and “urine osmolality “(15) Children who grow less than 100 px per year in height and have significantly later growth than their peers, but have normal intelligence, often suggesting “pituitary dwarfism”; ( (16) Continued enlargement of the hands and feet, thickening of the skin, and coarse facial features in adulthood, accompanied by headache, weakness, decreased visual acuity or visual field defects, suggesting possible “acromegaly”; (17) Sporadic or premature menstruation, unexplained lactation, and infertility in women; breast development, impotence, and infertility in men, suggesting “prolactinoma”. “Prolactinoma”; (18) Sexual development without reaching developmental age. In girls, breast development starts before 8 weeks of age and menstruation appears before 10 weeks of age; in boys, secondary sexual characteristics such as voice change, pubic hair and beard appear before 9 weeks of age, which indicates “precocious puberty”; on the contrary, it indicates “delayed pubertal sexual development”.