Endocrine Glands

During excitement or anger, our adrenal glands produce a lot of adrenaline that increases the heart beat, blood pressure and breathing rate of a person. It also stimulates the conversion of glycogen into glucose, and fats into fatty acids.

Adrenal medulla secretes adrenalin (also called epinephrine and noradrenalin). It prepares the body to meet any emergency situation.

Adrenal gland is stimulated by the nerve endings of autonomic nervous system at the time of emergency situation.

Cortical hormone behaves like sex hormones. They are both male as well as female hormones. An overgrowth of this hormone in young children leads to premature sexual maturity.

Hyposecretion from adrenal cortex causes Addison's disease, which results in anaemia, hypoglycaemia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, etc.

Islets of Langerhans are groups of hormone secreting cells scattered in the entire pancreas. It possesses three hormones; insulin, glucagon and somatostatin from three different kinds of cells called beta, alpha and delta cells, respectively.

If there is an overgrowth of adrenal cortex in a mature woman, she develops certain male characteristics such as a beard, moustache and deep male voice. This condition is known as adrenal virilism.

Cretinism is a condition characterised by<span style="font-family:" arial;="" font-size:="" small;=""> dwarfism and mental retardation<span style="font-family:" arial;="" font-size:="" small;=""> in affected children. 

Loss of water through urination is a symptom of diabetes mellitus or hyperglycaemia.

Thyroid gland secretes thyroxine and calcitonin.

If an overdose of insulin is given to a diabetic patient, he may become unconscious. This is called insulin shock or hypoglycaemia, and a prompt bite of sweet biscuits or sugar candy is helpful.

ADH (Anti-diuretic hormone) increases the re-absorption of water from kidney tubules, and its deficiency causes diabetes insipidus.

Excess of thyroxine secretion causes exophthalmic goitre, and the patient shows a marked increase in metabolic rate and heart beat, shortness of breath, protruded eyes, etc.

Oxytocin is secreted by the posterior lobe of pituitary, and stimulates vigorous contractions of the uterus in a pregnant woman leading to the birth of the baby.

Gonad stimulating hormones, i.e., gonadotropic hormones regulate the activity of the adrenal cortex.

A child may suffer from dwarfism if there is hyposecretion, i.e., undersecretion of somatotropin or growth hormone (GH).

The front part of the posterior pituitary is different from the rest of the lobe, and is called intermediate lobe. The intermediate lobe is almost absent in humans, but much larger and more functional in some lower animals.

Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) is released by anterior pituitary. It stimulates egg formation in females, and sperm formation in males.

Adrenal androgen is called sex corticoid as they stimulate development of external sex characters.

Progesterone is a female hormone produced by the corpus luteum. It prepares the uterus for the reception and development of the fertilised ovum.

Pituitary gland is called the master gland because it<span style="font-family:" arial;="" font-size:="" small;=""> <span style="font-family:" arial;="" font-size:="" small;="">controls all other endocrine glands.

Luteinizing hormone (LH) stimulates the formation of corpus luteum to produce progesterone. LH helps in the growth and ripening of Graafian follicles, and promotes ovulation.

Growth hormones and tropic hormones are secreted by the anterior lobe of pituitary. Posterior lobe secretes oxytocin and vasopressin.

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Hypoglycaemia is a symptom of hyposecretion of adrenal cortex. Cushing’s syndrome is caused by hypersecretion of adrenal cortex and shows symptoms of obesity, hyperglycaemia, osteoporosis, weakness, salt and water retention, etc.