Pancreas+Dirt+Digger+1

Put your name here: Rachelb2c

· Cross-examination questions. One person in your group should gather the “dirt” on other glands. Your group will be given one bonus point for each time you “stump” the other groups, and provide information that suggests that another gland should be removed.

Hypothalmus Gland:

Hypothalmic Disorders can be extremely common. Malnutrition, Trauma, Anorexia, and Tumors can cause the symptoms of Hypothalmic Disorders. "Development of brain tumor within or near the hypothalamus can lead to frequent episodes of [|headache]. Impaired vision is yet another problem that accompanies headaches." ([]).

Other disorders are

Causes of Hypothalmic Disorders from ([])
 * [|Constipation]
 * [|Fatigue]
 * Weight gain
 * Body hair loss
 * Hoarse voice
 * Impotence
 * Disturbances in menstrual cycle
 * [|Anorexia]
 * Bleeding
 * [|Bulimia]
 * Genetic disorders
 * Growths (tumors)
 * Head trauma
 * Infections and swelling (inflammation)
 * [|Malnutrition]
 * Radiation
 * Surgery
 * Too much iron

As you can see, the Hypothalmic disorders are easily caused. The Hypothalmus controls And regulates As you can plainly see, the Hypothalmus dysfunctioning can put many other life functions in jeopardy. The Hypothalmus is easily affected, so, it needs to go.
 * [|Adrenal glands]
 * Ovaries
 * [|Testes]
 * Thyroid gland
 * Body temperature
 * Childbirth
 * Emotions
 * Growth
 * Milk production
 * Salt and water balance
 * Sleep
 * Weight and appetite

Pituitary Gland:

The Pituitary Gland very easily gets tumors that are very common in adults. These tumors are non-cancerous, and they still heavily affect the body. "Two types of tumors exist - secretory and non-secretory. Secretory tumors produce too much of a hormone, creating an imbalance of proper hormones in the body. Non-secretory tumors cause problems because of their large size or because they interfere with normal function of the pituitary gland." ([]) The Pituitary Gland is in control of making:

The Pituitary Gland's disease is also sometimes misdiagnosed or goes untreated which leads to death. The symptoms of Pituitary disease are often mistaken for something else.
 * **Prolactin** - Prolactin stimulates milk production from the breasts after childbirth to enable nursing. It also affects sex hormone levels from ovaries in women and from testes in men.
 * **Growth hormone (GH)** - GH stimulates growth in childhood and is important for maintaining a healthy body composition and well-being in adults. In adults it is important for maintaining muscle mass as well as bone mass. It also affects fat distribution in the body.
 * **Adrenocorticotropin (ACTH)** - ACTH stimulates the production of cortisol by the adrenal glands. Cortisol, a so-called "stress hormone" is vital to our survival. It helps to maintain blood pressure and blood glucose levels.
 * **Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)** - TSH stimulates the thyroid gland, which regulates the body's metabolism, energy, growth, and nervous system activity. This hormone is also vital to our survival.
 * **Antidiuretic hormone (ADH)** - ADH, also called vasopressin, regulates water balance. If this hormone is not released properly, it can lead to too little hormone (called diabetes insipidus), or too much hormone (called syndrome of inappropriate ADH). Both of these conditions affect the kidneys. Diabetes insipidus is different from the more well-known diabetes mellitus (including type 1 and type 2 diabetes), which affects the levels of glucose in our bodies.
 * **Luteinizing hormone (LH)** - LH regulates testosterone in men and estrogen in women.
 * **Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)** - FSH promotes sperm production in men and stimulates the ovaries to enable ovulation in women. Luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone work together to cause normal function of the ovaries and testes.

United States
 Pituitary tumors represent anywhere between 10% and 15% of all intracranial tumors. Incidental pituitary tumors are found in approximately 10% of autopsies. The incidence of acromegaly is approximately 3 per million. Acromegaly has no sex predilection. ([])

Thyroid Gland:

The Thyroid Gland is especially important in teens because it manufactures the hormones that help control metabolism and growth. "To do its job, the thyroid needs a chemical element called iodine that the body absorbs from the foods you eat and the water you drink. The entire body contains about 50 milligrams of iodine. About 1/5 to 1/3 of that supply (10 to 15 milligrams) is stored in your thyroid. The thyroid combines the iodine with tyrosine (an essential amino acid) to make important hormones." ([])

"An association between vitiligo and autoimmune thyroid disease has previously been suspected. This study was undertaken to determine the frequency and type of thyroid disease in 35 consecutive patients admitted because of vitiligo compared with a matched control group. One or more signs of thyroid disease was demonstrated in 15 out of 35 patients (43%) with vitiligo, as compared to 7 out of 35 (20%) in the matched control group (p = 0.04). Thyroid dysfunction - 6 patients with hyperthyroidism and 2 with hypothyroidism - was found in 8 out of 35 patients, as compared to no patient in the control group (p = 0.003). Nine patients had thyroid autoantibodies, compared to 2 controls, and 6 had an enlarged thyroid gland, compared to 5 subjects in the control group. There appears to be an increased frequency of clinical as well as subclinical thyroid disease in patients with vitiligo. Our findings support the theory of vitiligo being an autoimmune disease and indicate a need for screening vitiligo patients for thyroid disease."

Parathyroid Gland:

The Parathyroid Gland controls how much calcium is in the body, "how much calcium is in our bones, and how much calcium is in our blood. Calcium is the most important element in our bodies (we use it to control many systems), so calcium is regulated very carefully. Parathyroid glands control the calcium." ([]) "When parathyroid glands go bad, it is just one gland that goes bad about 91% of the time--it just grows big (develops a benign tumor) and makes too much hormone. About 8% of the time people with hyperparathyroidism will have two bad glands."

Adrenal Gland:

"Your adrenal, or suprarenal, glands are located on the top of each kidney. These glands produce hormones that you can't live without, including sex hormones and cortisol, which helps you respond to stress and has many other functions. Adrenal disorders can cause your adrenal glands to make too much or not enough hormones. With [|Cushing's syndrome], there's too much cortisol, while with [|Addison's disease], there is too little. Some people are born unable to make enough cortisol. [|Tumors] can also cause disorders in your adrenal glands. Bleeding and infection can cause an adrenal gland problem that can be fatal without quick treatment." ([])

International
 The reported frequency of adrenal metastases depends on the incidence of the primary tumor; however, for each primary malignancy, the frequency of adrenal metastases is different. Some malignancies are more likely to metastasize to the adrenal glands. About 50% of [|melanomas], 30-40% of [|breast] and [|lung cancers], and 10-20% of [|renal] and gastrointestinal tumors metastasize to the adrenal glands.



Mortality/Morbidity
 Most often, the lesions are clinically silent, but cases of hypoadrenalism have occurred. ([])

metastasize- to spread injuriously

Ovaries:

"In the case of polycystic ovaries, however, the ovaries are larger than normal, and there are a series of undeveloped follicles that appear in clumps, somewhat like a bunch of grapes. Polycystic ovaries are not especially troublesome and may noteven affect your fertility. However, when the cysts cause a hormonal imbalance, a pattern ofsymptoms may develop. This pattern of symptoms is called asyndrome. These symptoms are the difference between suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome and from polycystic ovaries."

"Polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common hormonal disorder occurring in women during their reproductive years. It’s thought that 4% to 10% of all women have the disorder. However, since many women don’t know they have polycystic ovarian syndrome or some aspect of it, the actual number probably exceeds 10%. Polycystic ovarian syndrome is one of the leading causes of infertility. Symptoms frequently start to show up soon after puberty." ([])