Lecture Notes

Classroom Activity to Accompany Medical Terminology Systems, Sixth EditionBarbara A. Gylys ∙ Mary Ellen Wedding

13Endocrine

System

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Structure•Pituitary gland•Thyroid gland•Parathyroid•Adrenal glands•Pancreas•Pineal and thymus glands•Ovaries and testes

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Function•Together with nervous system, the endocrine system controls many intricate activities of the body.• Monitors, interprets, and reacts to changes in the body and the external environment.• Maintains homeostasis.• Produces and discharges hormones into bloodstream.

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Structure and Function Exercise

Q: What is a target organ?A: It is the organ or tissue that responds to a

hormone.Q: What are common conditions that result in

various pathologies of the endocrine system?A: Hypersecretion or hyposecretion of a hormone.Q: Why is the pituitary known as a master gland?A: Regulates many body activities; stimulates

other glands to secrete specific hormones.

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Graves DiseaseSigns and Symptoms• Exophthalmos.• Common form of hyperthyroidism.• Production of thyroid hormone increases.

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Graves DiseaseSigns and Symptoms (continued)•Enlarged thyroid (goiter).•Elevated metabolic rate, abnormal weight loss, and muscular weakness.

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Clinically Related ExerciseQ: Mary is diagnosed with Graves disease and is concerned about the

abnormal protrusion of her eyeballs. The doctor explains it is a common symptom of Graves disease and the protruding eyeballs is a condition called __________.

A: exophthalmus Q: The patient is scheduled for an excision of her thyroid gland. This surgical

procedure is charted as a ________________.A: thyroidectomyQ: Mrs. N presents with hyperthyroidism. She states her mom had Graves

disease and asks about the connection between Graves disease and hyperthyroidism.

A: Graves disease is the most common form of hyperthyroidism.Q: John is diagnosed with Graves disease and asks why his eyes are

protruding? A: The MA explains that it is due to an accumulation of cellular material behind

the eyeballs, which is stimulated by hypersecretion of thyroid-stimulating hormone.

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Cushing SyndromeSigns and Symptoms• Hypersecretion of

adrenal cortex, mainly cortisol.• Round, “moon-shaped”

face with acne.• Muscle weakness, purple

striated marks on skin, and hirsutism.

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Cushing SyndromeSigns and Symptoms (continued)• Syndrome causes changes in multiple body

systems.• Head and trunk grossly exaggerated, with

pencil-thin arms and legs.• “Buffalo” hump on upper back, peptic

ulcer, hypertension, susceptibility to infection.• Anxiety and depression.

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Cushing SyndromeTreatment • Restore concentration of serum cortisol to normal

levels.• Varies according to the etiology.• Drugs or radiation to suppress adrenocorticotropic

hormone (ACTH) secretion.• Total adrenalectomy.• Life-long treatments of cortisol replacement

therapy.• Surgery, followed by chemotherapy, when the

syndrome is caused by tumors of the adrenal cortex.

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Clinically Related Exercise Q: Mary is diagnosed with Cushing syndrome and learns it is caused by a

tumor in her adrenal cortex. She is told the recommended treatment is surgery, followed by chemotherapy. The surgery to remove the adrenal gland(s) is known as _______________________.

A: adrenalectomyQ: Nancy presents with complaints of puffiness and water retention. The

nurse explains that sodium retention causes increased fluid in tissues. The swelling is called ________.

A: edemaQ: Jane is diagnosed with Cushing syndrome. The physician explains the

goal of treatment is to restore concentration of normal levels of the principal steroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex. This hormone is known as (calcitonin, cortisol, oxytocin).

A: cortisolQ: The doctor explains one of the complications of untreated Cushing

syndrome is elevated blood pressure. The medical term for this complication is ________________________.

A: hypertension

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Medical Vocabulary•exophthalmos•hirsutism•hormones•Anterior and posterior pituitary gland hormones and their target organs as shown in the illustration.

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Medical Vocabulary(continued)

• hyperglycemia• infectious• menopause• metabolism• myxedema• osteoporosis

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Medical Vocabulary(continued)

• pheochromocytoma• pituitarism• polydipsia• thymoma

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Diagnostic Procedures•Fasting blood glucose (FBG)•Glucose tolerance test (GTT)•Radioactive iodine uptake test (RAIU)•Thyroid function test (TFT)•Total calcium

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Word Building ExerciseQ: Blood condition of deficient calcium:A: hypocalcemiaQ: Blood condition of excessive calcium:A: hypercalcemiaQ: Tumor of thymus gland:A: thymomaQ: Enlargement of the thyroid gland:A: thyromegalyQ: Blood condition of excessive glucose: A: hyperglycemiaQ: Urine that contains sugar:A: glycosuria

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Medical and Surgical Procedures

• Adrenalectomy• Lobectomy• Thymectomy• Thyroidectomy

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Clinically Related ExerciseQ: The physician diagnosed Mrs J with thymoma and informs her that it needs

to be excised. The surgical procedure to excise the thymus is called ___________.

A: thymectomyQ: John is diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and is informed that excision of

one lobe of the thyroid will stabilize his condition. The surgical procedure to remove a lobe is called _______________.

A: lobectomyQ: A patient undergoes biopsy that reveals a malignant tumor of the adrenal

gland. This cancerous tumor is charted as an adrenal ________________.A: carcinomaQ: John undergoes an MRI that reveals a rare tumor of the adrenal glands

composed of chromaffin cells. This type of tumor is known as a (cytoma, pheochromocytoma, sarcoma).

A: pheochromocytoma

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Pharmacology•Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)• Insulins

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Clinically Related ExerciseQ: Mary is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. To control her blood sugar levels,

the physician prescribes (corticosteroids, insulin, thyroid hormones).A: insulinQ: Susan is in menopause. To control her symptoms of hot flashes and

vaginal dryness, the physician prescribes an oral synthetic hormone of (calcium, estrogen, testosterone).

A: estrogenQ: Tom is postsurgical thyroidectomy. To replace the production of hormones

T3 and T4, the doctor prescribes (calcium, corticosteroids, thyroid supplements).

A: thyroid supplementsQ: Connie is diagnosed postmenopausal and finds she is at risk for

osteoporosis. Her doctor recommends preventing bone loss by taking a supplement called (calcium, sodium, thyroid).

A: calcium

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