ME102 Endocrinology

By Ivy Vo

Roots

• Acro- : extremity

• Aden- : gland

• Adrenal : adrenal glands

• -agon : struggle

• Aldo- : aldehydes

• Anti- : opposite

• Calcem- : calcium

• Carcin- : related to cancer

• -ceptor : reciever

• -chromo- : color

• Cort- : cortex

• Cortex : outer layer

• -creas : flesh or meat

• -crin(e)- : to separate

• -cytoma : tumor from a specific cell type

• -diuretic : increases urine production

• Dwarf- : small person

• -ectomy : surgical removal

• -emia : presence in the blood

• Endo- : within

• Gigant- : giant

• Gluc- : glucose

• Hormon- : to set in motion

• Hyper- : excessive or beyond

• Hypo- : deficiency

• -ia : condition

• Im- : not or without

• In- : into or within

• -ine : amines

• -ism : condition or state

• -itis : inflammation or swelling

• -lactin : milk

• -megaly : enlargement

• Nor- : absence of

• -oid : resembling or shaped like

• -ol : steroid hormone

• -ology : study of

• -oma : tumor or mass

• Pan- : whole or all

• Para- : beside or adjacent to

• Pheo- : dark or dusky

• -pituitar- : referring to the pituitary gland

• Pro- : in favor of

• Re- : back or again

• -sterone : steroids

• -sulin : tube or channel

• -thalamus : inner chamber

• Thyro- : shield like

• Viril(is)- : masculine

Vocabulary

General Terminology

• Terminology [Root] : Definition

• Endocrine glands [endo-crine] : glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream

• Endocrinology [endo-crin-ology] : scientific study of the glands and hormones

• Hormone imbalance [hormon-e im-balance] : hormones are not within the normal range

• Hormones [hormon-es] : chemical produced by endocrine glands in the body

• Receptors [re-ceptor] : a protein that receives and responds to signals

Thyroid Gland
Goiter : abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland
Grave’s disease : autoimmune disorder causing overproduction of thyroid hormones
Hyperthyroidism [hyper-thyroid-ism] : overactivity of the thyroid gland
Hypothyroidism [hypo-thyroid-ism] : underactivity of the thyroid gland
Thyroid [thyro-oid] : endocrine gland in the neck that produces hormones
Thyroid carcinoma [thyroid carcin-oma] : cancer of the thyroid gland
Thyroidectomy [thyroid-ectomy] : surgical removal of part or all of the thyroid gland
Thyroiditis [thyroid-itis] : inflammation of the thyroid gland

Thyroid Gland

• Goiter : abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland

• Grave’s disease : autoimmune disorder causing overproduction of thyroid hormones

• Hyperthyroidism [hyper-thyroid-ism] : overactivity of the thyroid gland

• Hypothyroidism [hypo-thyroid-ism] : underactivity of the thyroid gland

• Thyroid [thyro-oid] : endocrine gland in the neck that produces hormones

• Thyroid carcinoma [thyroid carcin-oma] : cancer of the thyroid gland

• Thyroidectomy [thyroid-ectomy] : surgical removal of part or all of the thyroid gland

• Thyroiditis [thyroid-itis] : inflammation of the thyroid gland

Parathyroid Glands

• Calcium metabolism : regulation and utilization of calcium in the body

• Hypercalcemia [hyper-calcem-ia] : abnormally high levels of calcium

• Hyperparathyroidism [hyper-para-thyroid-ism] : excessive production of parathyroid hormone

• Hypoparathyroidism [hypo-para-thyroid-ism] : deficient production of parathyroid hormone

• Parathyroid [para-thyroid] : four small endocrine glands next to the thyroid gland that make calcium and parathyroid hormone

• Parathyroidectomy [para-thyroid-ectomy] : removal of one or more parathyroid glands

Adrenal Cortex

• Addison disease : hypofunctioning of the adrenal cortex

• Adrenal cortex [adrenal cortex] : outer layer of the adrenal glands, making steroid hormones

• Adrenal crisis : severe deficiency of adrenal hormones

• Adrenal virilism [adrenal viril-ism] : excessive secretion of androgen hormones

• Aldosterone [aldo-sterone] : steroid hormone that regulates electrolyte balance and blood pressure

• Cortisol [cort-is-ol] : steroid hormone produced by stress and low blood glucose levels

• Cushing syndrome : symptoms produced by excess cortisol

Adrenal Medulla

• Adrenal medulla : inner part of adrenal glands that secrete catecholamines due to stress

• Adrenaline [adrenal-ine] : neurotransmitter involved in the stress response, activating “fight or flight”

• Noradrenaline [nor-adrenal-ine] : neurotransmitter released from sympathetic nerve endings during stress

• Pheochromocytoma [pheo-chromo-cytoma] : benign tumor of the adrenal medulla

Pancreas

• Diabetes mellitus : lack of insulin secretion or resistance of insulin

• Glucagon [gluc-agon] : hormone involved in increasing blood glucose levels

• Hyperinsulinism [hyper-in-sulin-ism] : excess secretion of insulin causing hypoglycemia

• Insulin [in-sulin] : hormone involved in promoting glucose uptake and storage in cells

• Insulin resistance : condition in which the body’s cells are less responsive to insulin

• Islet of Langerhans : clusters of endocrine cells that produce hormones that regulate blood glucose

• Pancreas [pan-creas] : an organ involved in digestion, metabolism, and regulation of glucose

Pituitary Gland

• Acromegaly [acro-megaly] : large extremity due to hypersecretion of growth hormone

• Antidiuretic hormone [anti-diueretic hormone] : hormone against diuresis by regulating water balance

• Diabetes insipidus : insufficient secretion of antidiuretic hormone (ADH)

• Dwarfism [dwarf-ism] : condition of being small due to hyposecretion of growth hormone

• Gigantism [gigant-ism] : condition of being large due to hypersecretion of growth hormone

• Hyperprolactinemia [hyper-prolactin-emia] : elevated levels of prolactin in the blood

• Hypopituitarism [hypo-pituitar-ism] : condition of underactivity of hormones produced by the pituitary gland

• Hypothalamus [hypo-thalamus] : small region of the brain above the pituitary gland

• Panhypopituitarism [pan-hypo-pituitar-ism] : condition of deficiency of all pituitary hormones

• Pituitary adenoma [pituitary aden-oma] : tumor in the pituitary gland

• Pituitary apoplexy : condition involving sudden bleeding into the pituitary gland

• Pituitary gland : “master gland,” gland located at the base of the brain

• Prolactin [pro-lactin] : hormone that promotes lactation

Tests and Procedures

• Cortisol suppression test : a diagnostic test to evaluate the production of cortisol by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis

• Fasting plasma glucose : fasting blood sugar test

• Glucose tolerance test : a diagnostic test used to access how well the body processes glucose

• Hemoglobin A1c test : a blood test used to measure average blood glucose over 2-3 months

Idioms/Slangs

Adrenaline rush - sudden surge of energy in response to increased andrenaline in the blood

• ex. When she jumped out of the plane, she had an adrenaline rush. 

Fight or flight - a physiological response to a perceived threat, causing secretion of stress hormones

• ex. Sarah’s body went into fight or flight after hearing the loud noise.

Insulin pump - medical device used by diabetic patients to administer insulin throughout the day

• ex. John uses an insulin pump to manage his diabetes.

Insulin spike - rapid increase in insulin in response to high blood sugar levels

• ex. After eating cake, Tom had a sharp insulin spike.

Sugar crash/low - rapid decrease in blood sugar levels following a period of high blood sugar levels

• ex. Tim had a sugar crash, leaving him tired and sluggish for the rest of the day.

Sugar rush/high - sudden burst of energy following consumption of sugary foods

• ex. Sarah experienced a sugar rush after eating a lot of candy.