Endocrinology is the branch of medicine that studies hormones, important substances that organs secrete to fulfill their functions and travel through the body through saliva, sweat, blood, and other fluids. This specialty is one of the most recent, and it was in 1956 when the behavior of hormones in the body, their functions, and the importance of their deficit began to be studied in depth.
To practice this branch, the endocrinologist must carry out a specialization of five additional years to study medicine, where he will obtain the necessary knowledge to treat conditions such as diabetes, pancreatitis, thyroid disorders, and other pathologies. If you want to know when to go to the endocrinologist, in this FastlyHealarticle, you will find everything you need to know about this specialty.
Table of Contents
When to go to the endocrine
Many diseases are treated by the endocrine, but few people know the importance of visiting this doctor to eradicate some conditions. Instead of going to this, they are usually treated only by an internist or general practitioner. For this reason, it is essential to know what pathologies this specialist treats to know when to go to the endocrinologist and ask our treating physician to refer us. The primary diseases that an endocrinologist treats are:
Conditions in the pituitary gland
The pituitary gland is one of the main glands of the body, responsible for producing hormones involved in sexual reproduction, the onset of puberty, and the beginning of sexual evolution. This gland is the one that has the most significant amount of hormones in the body, such as growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH), oxytocin.
Adrenal gland problems
Such as adrenal insufficiency, gigantism, dwarfism, or acromegaly. The adrenal glands are two glands located in the upper area of each kidney. Their functions include the production of the hormones cortisol, adrenaline, norepinephrine, and other hormones that can be converted into testosterone. The most critical conditions that can develop from a malfunction of the adrenal glands are Cushing’s syndrome, Type II diabetes, hirsutism, shoulder hump, hypoglycemia, and Conn’s syndrome.
Thyroid gland disorders
The hormones produced by the thyroid control many body functions, such as the rhythm of the heartbeat, the rate at which calories are burned from food eaten, and the body climate. Thyroid disorders are one of the first reasons to go to the endocrine; the best known are hypothyroidism, which occurs when the gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone; hyperthyroidism, which occurs when the production of thyroid hormone is excessive, cancer of the thyroid, thyroiditis or swelling of the thyroid, goiter, and enlargement of the thyroid gland.
Diabetes
The pancreas is the organ responsible for producing insulin. When a person has problems with the production of insulin – they do not make it or the amount paid is very scarce – they are considered to be diabetic since they do not have the essential hormone to regulate blood sugar levels. The endocrinologist is a doctor who specializes in treating this condition and controlling diabetic disease in any of its types: type 1, when the person does not produce insulin and must be injected, and type 2, when the diabetic does not have enough insulin or the body does not manage it correctly.
Weight disorders and metabolic syndrome
Because hormones play a vital role in increasing or decreasing body weight, the endocrinologist is the physician responsible for diagnosing the causes of unwarranted weight gain or extreme thinness. Likewise, the metabolic disorder is a syndrome that occurs due to various hormonal disorders and is characterized by insulin resistance or hyperinsulinism, overweight, and, in the case of women, polycystic ovaries; this condition should be treated under the supervision of an endocrine.
Arterial hypertension
One of the most common causes of this condition is a malfunction of the adrenal glands or the pituitary. When treated by an endocrinologist can eradicate the problem of high blood pressure forever.
Infertility and polycystic ovaries: both conditions are closely linked to hormonal disorders; for example, in the case of cysts in the ovaries, the cause is due to an excess of insulin that the body produces and does not administer correctly; it generates the production of cysts in the ovaries. . Although the gynecologist can also treat both conditions, the endocrinologist is the doctor who will find the origin of them.
Impotence
In the case of male impotence, the endocrinologist is the ideal doctor to discover the cause of this condition, which, in most cases, has a hormonal origin and, of course, has a treatment.
Other conditions
High cholesterol, osteoporosis, growth problems, parathyroids, calcium and phosphorus deficiency, bone diseases, and metabolic pathologies.
In most cases, the diseases treated by the endocrine system can offer a better prognosis if they are treated in time, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Leaving the consultation with this specialist for later due to a hormonal disorder can have very negative consequences for the person’s health.
How is the first consultation with the endocrinologist
The first consultation with the endocrinologist may be longer than the others because, in this first meeting, the specialist will physically and exhaustively examine the entire body of the person, specifically reviewing the abdominal mass while asking if there is any pain in the area you are touching with your fingers.
He will also massage the neck to inspect the size of the thyroid, check the nodes, and study skin color, dryness, and eye movements. In the same way, the doctor will inspect how the body fat is distributed, especially in the case of diabetes, metabolic disorder, or overweight; he will measure the height of the patient and weigh to know his weight and mass index, and body fat. The measurement of blood pressure is essential in all consultations with the endocrinologist.
In this first consultation, a questionnaire will also be carried out on the person’s eating habits, lifestyle, symptoms, diseases suffered family history and all the history that has made a consultation with an endocrinologist necessary. It is advisable to offer as much information as possible about us and our symptoms so that the expert can create an expanded medical history that allows him to find the correct diagnosis and the ideal treatment.
In some cases, the endocrinologist must order a blood test to know how the function of some hormones is through the levels of, for example, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, etc. It is also possible that this specialist specifically requests a hormonal profile to know the functioning of the glands. Also, some endocrinologists have ultrasound equipment in their offices to perform thyroid echoes if necessary. In the case of consultation for diabetes, overweight, metabolic disorder, growth problems, or thinness, the endocrine may refer to a nutritionist to carry out a healthy control and promote new eating habits.
How many times do you have to go to the endocrine
Usually, once you go to the endocrinologist, this specialist becomes a doctor that we will visit throughout our lives. Why? Because the conditions that this doctor treats require a lot of control and supervision to ensure that everything is happening perfectly within the body. Check that there have been no new hormonal disorders, that the treatment (if it is for life, as in the case of diabetes) is still the correct treatment, and that the patient has obeyed the medical and nutritional orders to the letter.
When it comes to weight loss or gaining control, the endocrine rules may be more constant, at least once a month, to track how the process is going and how much is missing, or what needs to be modified to achieve the objective set. In infertility cases, it may also be necessary to go to several consultations to analyze hormonal behavior.
This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to When to go to the endocrine , we recommend that you enter our Wellbeing category .
I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.