Endocrinology
Endocrinology is the field of medicine that studies the body’s glands and the hormones they make. Pikeville Medical Center has physicians and providers who specialize in the endocrine system and the diagnosis and treatment of the wide variety of diseases that can be associated with it.
What Conditions Does an Endocrinologist Commonly Treat?
Conditions that affect the thyroid include:
· Hypothyroidism – Hypothyroidism is a condition in which your thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones. When thyroid levels are too low, your body’s processes slow down. This can affect nearly every system in your body.
· Hyperthyroidism – Hyperthyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormones. When thyroid levels are too high, the body’s processes speed up. When thyroid hormone levels are too high, your body goes into “overdrive,” affecting your heart rate, energy levels, and many other systems.
· Thyroid Nodules/Lumps.
Parathyroid disorders are caused by overactivity of one or more of the parathyroid lobes, which make too much parathyroid hormone, causing a calcium imbalance.
There are a number of conditions that affect the pituitary. Those conditions include:
· Growth Hormone Deficiency – Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is a condition in which the body does not produce enough growth hormone, a hormone made by the pituitary gland that is essential for normal growth, metabolism, and body composition.
· Hypopituitarism – Hypopituitarism is a condition in which the pituitary gland does not produce enough of one or more of the hormones that regulate critical body functions. When the pituitary doesn’t make enough hormones, it can disrupt multiple systems in the body, including growth, metabolism, stress response an reproduction.
· Hyperprolactinemia – Hyperprolactinemia is a condition in which the body has higher-than-normal levels of prolactin, a hormone made by the pituitary gland.
Prolactin’s main role is to stimulate breast milk production, but when levels are too high outside of pregnancy or breastfeeding, it can disrupt other hormones.
Adrenal glands are responsible for producing hormones that regulate stress, metabolism, blood pressure, and salt balance in the body. .Adrenal disorders are those that trigger the adrenal glands to make too much or not enough hormones.
Metabolic syndrome is the term used to describe a group of diseases that increase a person’s risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke and other serious health conditions. Metabolic syndrome is diagnosed when a patient has three or more of the following: high blood sugar, hypertension, low levels of HDL cholesterol, high levels of triglycerides or large waist circumference.
Bone strength is influenced by hormones like estrogen, testosterone, thyroid hormone, and parathyroid hormone. When these are out of balance, bones can become weak and more likely to fracture.
Diabetes, often referred to as “sugar,” is a group of diseases in which a person has high blood glucose/blood sugar levels because the body does not produce enough insulin. Types of diabetes include Pre-Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes and Gestational Diabetes. The PMC Endocrinology team can help treat advanced cases of the disease.
Learn more about the different types of diabetes and the comprehensive ways that PMC can help manage it here: Diabetes Education
Pikeville Medical Center Endocrinology
PMC Primary Care & Specialty Care Clinic
184 S. Mayo Trail
Pikeville, KY 41501
(606) 430-2213
