An endocrinologist is a specially trained clinician who is qualified to
diagnosis conditions that affect the glands. They may diagnose and treat
hormone imbalances in the endocrine organs, which include the pituitary,
thyroid, adrenals, ovaries, testes and pancreas. Some of the conditions that
are treated by an endocrinologist include cancers of the endocrine glands,
cholesterol or lipid disorders, diabetes, hypertension, infertility, lack of
growth, menopause, metabolic disorders, osteoporosis, over or under production
of hormones and thyroid diseases.
Endocrinologists must deal with many systems within the body, and
researchers in the endocrinology field have tried to determine how the glands
work. Researchers have also developed new drugs and treatments for hormone
problems.
After medical school, several years of internship and residency in the
fields of pediatrics or obstetrics and gynecology, besides specific instruction
about hormone diseases, are required before a clinician can become an
endocrinologist.
Diagnosis often encompasses evaluating for a variety of symptoms and
requires knowledge of clinical chemistry and biochemistry. Many laboratory
tests also are used, including diagnostic imaging. Managing these diseases
often requires long-term treatment and may involve treating the patient as a
whole and maintaining observation of changes at the cellular or molecular
level.
Many professional organizations are dedicated to endocrinology, largely
because the field encompasses a number of the body’s systems and
functions.
Additional information may be found at these websites:
http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/cgi/collection/gene_expression
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003706.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/metabolism/WT00006/
http://www.nature.com/jcbfm/index.html
http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/
http://www.hormone.org/Public/endocrinologist.cfm
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002257.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK22/?depth=10
http://endo.endojournals.org/
http://www.mayoclinic.org/medicalprofs/glucocorticoid-induced-diabetes.html
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/steroids.html
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/understandingcancer/estrogenreceptors
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/2099
http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/glossary=enzyme
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002353.htm