L18 - Endocrine Pharmacology

Question 1

What is a goitre and what causes it?

Answer 1

• enlargement of the thyroid gland

- caused by too little thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism)

Question 2

What is the treatment for low thyroid hormone?

Answer 2

• replace thyroid hormone
• give drug Thyroxane
• minimal side effects
• can be used long term safely

Question 3

What is hyperthyroidism and what is its treatment?

Answer 3

• too much thyroid hormone

Treatment:

• surgery to remove thyroid gland results in hypothyroidism so then on long-term thyroxane
• most common treatment is radioactivity (give radioactive iodine)

Question 4

What causes hypothyroidism?

Answer 4

• iodine is important to produce the thyroid hormones

- insufficient iodine from diet = insufficient thyroid hormone production

Question 5

Why is there a large reservoir of thyroid hormone present in the body?

Answer 5

• because thyroid hormones act through nuclear receptors (IMPORTANT POINT)
• nuclear receptors take hours to days to take effect

Question 6

What effects do hypo- and hyper- thyroidism have on the body?

Answer 6

• thyroid hormones involved in metabolism
• hypothyroidism slows you down
• hyperthyroidism speeds everything up

Question 7

Where are steroid hormones produced?

Answer 7

adrenal gland

Question 8

What are the types of steroid and what are their uses?

Answer 8

corticosteroids (incl. mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid)
- used for anti-inflammatory, inflammatory skin diseases, asthma
mineralocorticoid
- sodium regulation + kidney (aldosterone)