Hormonal imbalances of the endocrine glands

Hormonal Imbalance

Hormones are messengers produced by the glands of our endocrine system. They are transported by blood circuit to the different tissues and organs where they send messages on when and how to perform a certain action. When these hormones are produced in excess or in defect, then endocrine diseases develop.

Hormones are essential because they rule very important functions which are needed for the proper functioning of our metabolism, such as:

Disruption of the endocrine glands

The glands and endocrine organs are responsible for hormones production. Hormones are substances capable to carry out their function in “target” organs which can be far from their localization.

The most common endocrine pathologies

In recent years we are discovering a lot about the countless endocrine activities of our organism, some discoveries are very recent and many more still have to be done.
There are many endocrine activities (hormones production) even in organs that are not primarily endocrine but which can become endocrine under particular conditions or there are organs in which only some cells have an endocrine activity but such activity has a great importance.

THYROID

Dysthyroidism is a condition characterized by a malfunctioning of the thyroid gland.
When this gland produces hormones in excess of the physiological quantities then we speak of HYPER-TYROIDISM resulting in symptoms related to an excessive speed of the metabolic functions such a gland controls:

When the opposite condition occurs, i.e. a slowdown in the production of thyroid hormones then we speak of HYPO-THYROIDISM whose symptoms are related to the slowdown of the metabolic functions of thyroid, such as:

These conditions are often the result of a Chronic Thyroiditis, the most common form of which is the autoimmune Hashimoto’s THYROIDITIS. This condition can often create also volumetric changes of the gland such as goiter and benign nodules.

ADRENAL

The Adrenal gland takes its name from the fact that it is anatomically located above the kidney but performs completely different functions.
Adrenal diseases are quite rare and can be characterized by a hyper- or hypo- function of the gland or by nodular formations, often benign and rarely malignant called Incidentalomas due to the fact they are almost always asymptomatic and accidentally discovered. Cushing Syndrome – although a rare disease – is the most common of hyperadrenal diseases in which there is an excessive and uncontrolled production of cortisol (the main adrenal hormone and natural equivalent of synthetic cortisone).

The main symptoms are linked to a central obesity showing predominantly thin limbs, with fairly typical somatic features: typical reddish streaks on the body and on the face, oily skin and metabolic disorders such as hyperglycemia and endocrine hypertension.

Adrenal insufficiency is a rare disease in which you have a reduced cortisol production. The main form of adrenal insufficiency is called Addison’s Syndrome.

HIRSUTISM

It is a pathology characterized by an increase in hair in areas where women should not have any. It has an androgynous origin (excess of male hormones). Most commonly affected areas are:

Hirsutism differs from hypertrichosis since it shows abnormal growth of hairs (just a few or even a lot) in areas where a woman should have no hairs at all. Hypertrichosis on the other hand, is an excessive increase of hairs in areas where physiologically there is already their presence (pubic area, armpits).

AMENORRHEA

Amenorrhea is a condition in which there is absence of menstruation for at least 6 consecutives menstrual periods. There is a primary amenorrhea when the woman has never had a menstrual period since the age of 15 or since at least 5 years after breast development.

There is a secondary amenorrhea when, after a period of regular menstrual cycles, menstruation is interrupted for 6 consecutives months. Causes of amenorrhea can be:

HYPERPROLACTINEMIA

In this condition prolactin is produced in excess thus creating disorders and symptoms related to sexuality. Prolactin is a hormone that women physiologically produce in large quantities during pregnancy to prepare breasts for breastfeeding.

When prolactin is produced in excess in women you can have menstrual cycle disorders up to total absence of the menstruation for more or less long periods, and in more severe cases zeroing of libido and galactorrhea (production of a substance similar to milk but which is not milk) from the nipple, which can be induced by squeezing or, in the most severe cases, can also occur spontaneously.

Male hyperprolactinemia can cause libido decrease and be associated with Gynaecomastia (increased volume of male breasts). When hyperprolactinemia values are not too high then we speak of secondary hyperprolactinemia which depends on both physical and mental stressful situations occurring over a long period (eg: professional women athletes are among the most affected due to very long training periods and psycho-physical stress). When the values are very high we speak of primary hyperprolactinemia depending on excessive activity often caused by benign adenomas – called prolactinomas – of the pituitary cells responsible for its production.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease characterized by a reduced mineralization of the bone mass which results in qualitative alterations often accompanied by an increased risk of fracture.
It mainly affects postmenopausal women because of the lack of production of estrogens hormones which, among many other functions, also have the function to feed the bones.

For anatomical reasons the RACHIS and the FEMUR are the two most affected segments, although any bone can be affected. The incidence of osteoporosis increases with age until it affects the majority of the population after the age of 80. It shows two types:

Calcium metabolism is regulated by a hormone called PARATHORMONE (PTH) produced by the parathyroid glands which are four very small glands located inside the thyroid tissue performing completely different functions from the thyroid itself, but nonetheless performing fundamental functions to correctly control the metabolism of calcium.

An excess production of parathyroid hormone called HYPERPARATHYROIDISM or a defective production called HYPOPARATHYROIDISM can affect the correct metabolism of calcium causing important alterations in the bone and in the circulating calcium values.

The disorders of sexuality both in male and female sex can depend on anatomical problems of the development of the genitals with or without alteration of the libido, or on a deficit of desire (LIBIDO) resulting from hormonal defects that reduce or completely eliminate the desire. In women, the main causes of sexual disorders and infertility are:

Ovarian cysts, which are more easily formed in young women and during childbearing age, are nothing more than the re-organization of the egg cell shell that reorganizes itself when it is not completely eliminated by menstruation.

The cyst can have endocrine properties and produce excess of androgens responsible for a series of virilization symptoms such as HIRSUTISM, VISCERAL OBESITY, EFFLUVIUM (Thinning Hair) and above all dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea and anovulation.

Ovarian polycistosis is one of the main causes of female infertility. There are also rare female genetic forms linked to disorders of sexuality and fertility, among which the main are:

Sexuality disorders in men can be caused by:

There are rare genetic forms that can result in a partial or complete hypotestosteronism: the main one is Klinefelter Syndrome which is also responsible for a reduced development of the external genitalia as well as for the secondary sexual characteristics and for total or partial infertility.