Endocrinology 101: All You Need To Know About Endocrinologists

Endocrinology is the complex medical study of the endocrine system and its diseases, including the eight hormone secreting glands and their actions, effects and relevant body disorders.It is the branch of medicine that is also concerned with the integration of developmental events proliferation, growth, and differentiation, and the behavioral and psychological activities of growth, development and the metabolism, including tissue function, sleep, respiration, excretion, digestion, stress, mood, reproduction, lactation, movement and sensory perception caused by hormones. Common specializations include comparative.and behavioral.endocrinology. Several hormones secreted by the endocrine system have one particular target organ where their effects are experienced, while others have several. The clinical specialty of endocrinology focuses primarily on the organs whose primary function is hormone secretion in the endocrine system. These organs include the pituitary, thyroid, adrenals, ovaries, testes, and pancreas.

Who Is An Endocrinologist?

A specially trained physician of endocrinology who deals with and diagnoses issues related to the hormonal glands. This includes medical evaluations and even the long-term management of disorders related to hormones, such as deficiencies. They also have basic internal medicine training-with 10 years of requisite medical training-and work in close cooperation with other specialists for cross-disciplinary diagnosis and treatment, if needed. Laboratory tests form a major part of diagnosis and treatment in this field, more so than other medical specializations. It is for this reason that endocrinologists tend to have extensive knowledge regarding biochemistry and clinical chemistry. These specialists usually administer long-term care to people undergoing diabetes, obesity and thyroid, which are usually chronic; this requires understanding the patients on a personal, social as well as metabolic level. 

What Conditions Do Endocrinologists Treat?

Endocrinologists work to restore and retain hormonal balance in the body by treating hormonal imbalances, usually resulting from abnormal function of certain Endocrinol glands such as the thyroid gland, which can cause hyper or hyperparathyroidism as well as certain types of cancers. Other ailments commonly treated by endocrinologists are:

• Diabetes
• Osteoporosis and Bone health
• Adrenal disorders
• Growth Deficiency in children
• Puberty issues
• Male and Female Infertility
• Testosterone levels in males
• Pituitary gland disorders, including posterior and anterior pituitary
• Thyroid disorders
• Metabolic bone disorders
• Weight and Metabolism Issues
• Calcium homeostasis disorders
• Glucose homeostasis disorders
• Sex hormone dsorders
• Tumors of the endocrine glands

What Tests Do Endocrinologists Perform?

A few common tests administered by endocrine specialists to identify certain disorders include Plasma Glucose Test or Glucose Tolerance Test for testing Diabetic dysfunction, Growth Hormone Deficiency test to check growth issues and a 24-Hour Urine Calcium test to check urine content in the blood for various bone disorders.

A Follicle-Stimulating Hormone blood test, Clomiphene Citrate challenge and a Progestin challenge test are employed to diagnose menopause and check fertility, aid in conception for women over 35 and check estrogen levels, respectively.

For patients with suspected thyroid conditions, TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone), T3 and T4 tests, thyroid scans, Radioactive Iodine Uptake tests, Thyroid-Stimulating Immunoglobulin and the Anti-thyroid Antibody tests are prescribed.

Sub-divisions:

Endocrinologists are divided into 4 categories, depending on the area of expertise:

• Adult Endocrinology focuses on endocrine issues in adults and the elderly.
• Pediatric Endocrinology is specifically for hormonal issues in children, such as growth.
• Reproductive Endocrinology is for treating issues in the male and female reproductive systems of caused by hormonal dysfunction, particularly menstrual regulation and fertility in females.
• Diabetic Endocrinology focuses on treating diabetes and hormonal disorders, which requires the detailed study of the eyes, blood vessels and kidney problems associated with the disease. Their duties extend to diabetic foot care. Special care is needed for children and adolescents, and pregnant women who have diabetes, with detailed knowledge of diabetes-specific diets and exercises, and the administration of special care to keep a check whether diabetes recurs after pregnancy

When Should You Visit An Endocrinologist?

It is usually recommended to visit an endocrine specialist if you have been tested positive for diabetes or thyroid conditions,are obese, infertile or have bone and growth disorders, as these may be due to an underlying endocrinol dysfunction. Referral is also recommended for patients for whom conventional treatments for certain conditions are not effective, despite continued and regular administration,-such as cystic fibrosis-in which case, special care provided by an expert is necessary. Your general physician might also refer you to an endocrinologist if these issues are discovered.

If you or anyone you know suffers from Diabetes or other hormonal conditions, do not hesitate to Book an Appointment with a top Endocrinologist in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad through oladoc.com. Or call our helpline at 042 3890 0939 for assistance to find the RIGHT Doctor for your hormone-related issues.