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Endocrinologist: What Is It & What Do They Do?

Table of contents

What is the Endocrine System?

The endocrine system causes the secretion of different hormones that perform various activities in our body. This system includes the Pituitary gland, Thyroid gland, pancreas, and other body organs examples of endocrine hormones include GHRH, TRH, CRH, Gnash, and gonadotropins while oxytocin and vasopressin (also known as the anti-diuretic hormone) are the neuron-divine in origin. Dopamine together with somatostatin belongs to a group called local-acting hormones.

Who is an Endocrinologist?

An endocrinologist is a specialized physician that assesses and treats hormonal imbalances. Endocrinologists concerning endocrine diseases such as diabetes mellitus, thyroid dysfunction, and others.

An endocrinologist identifies and treats disorders such as obesity or adiposity-based chronic disease (ABCD), osteoporosis, adrenal disorders, aberrations-sex-hormone metabolism including gender dysphoria.

Role and Responsibilities

  • Hormones imbalance: You will suffer from hormonal imbalance whether you are a man or woman. The endocrinologist depends on various tests such as blood tests, saliva tests, and hormone tests. After finding the exact cause of the imbalance, the endocrinologist treated the different hormonal dysfunctions.
  • Diabetes Management: Diabetes is a condition of having high levels of blood sugar, the endocrinologists help these patients in managing their disease well. They suggest some medications and other ways to manage diabetes such as pills, changes to your diet, and lifestyle changes. 
  • Thyroid disorders: An endocrinologist may provide a few of the drug therapies to stabilize hormones in patients with thyroid conditions. Typical thyroid diseases are hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and, thyroiditis
  • Reproductive dysfunctions — These include fertility, menstruation, and menopause because the hormones that govern them are secretion from the endocrine system. These problems and their management within the domain end with proper hormonal analysis and are addressed by endocrinologists who assist patients in improving their sexual lives.
  • Hormones and bone health are interrelated; this is especially true for women. All hormonal changes can influence bone health too. So endocrinologists help to manage the complications of osteoporosis (a condition which leads to weakening and thinning bones).
  • Metabolic changes: Hormonal changes directly create an impact on the metabolism of our body. The endocrine physician diagnoses the patient first and treats their metabolic conditions such as obesity, rapid weight loss, and others.
  • Adrenal Disorders: This is caused by a medical situation where your body is producing too many or far fewer hormones through your endocrine system. This can hamper a healthy lifestyle. The endocrinologist diagnoses the patient and defines that as an insufficiency or high production of hormones. Cushing’s syndrome and pituitary tumors cause adrenal disorders.

Common tests

  • ACTH stimulation test
  • 24-hour urine collection test
  • CRH stimulation tests
  • Fine-needle aspiration biopsy
  • Diabetes — glucose sensor test
  • Semen analysis
  • TSH blood test
  • Thyroid scan

Treatments and Therapies

Hormone Replacement Therapy: If an endocrinologist finds that any hormonal deficiency exists in their patients. Then he suggests hormonal replacement therapy to restore the hormones.

Insulin Therapy: This therapy is performed when an endocrinologist treats type 1 diabetes. Through this therapy, he can mimic the insulin secretion of the body.

Radioactive Iodine therapy: This therapy is used to treat hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer. Destroying the excessive thyroid cells.

Selective estrogen receptor modulator therapy –

This therapy is used to prevent breast cancer and osteoporosis in women. This is a substance having a similar effect as estrogen in a woman’s body.

What About Endocrinologists Trained and Certified?

It’s important to check the qualifications and experience of your doctor. It helps to build trust between the patient and the doctor.

  • Education: First, m.b.b.s (after five years of undergraduate medical course) This is a 5-year educational program and the first step to becoming a Doctor in any field of medicine.
  • 2-3 year Internship Required: This is mandatory for MBBS Graduates to complete their internship from any recognized Hospital and institution.
  • General and specialty training: Designed for those who want to be an endocrinologist or any subspecialty surgeon after completing all the internships. Applicants should also have completed the Royal Australasian College of Physicians three years of basic training and two years of advanced training (all beyond Fellowship).
  • Certificates and licenses: After completing the MBBS degree from a medical institution and basic and advanced training from the RACP, the RACP issues a fellowship certificate to the doctor, and the MBBS degree and fellowship certification is mandatory for an endocrinologist to practice in Australia.

What are my expectations from endocrinologist visits?

Endocrinologists are likely to ask you about your medical circumstances, signs and symptoms as well as the medical history of any diseases in your family. A routine medical examination is also to happen on the 1st visit by an endocrinologist.

Based on your symptoms and physical examination, the endocrinologist will suggest some medical tests like blood tests, saliva tests, hormonal measurements, etc. If these reports show any abnormality then the doctor suggests medical intervention. He might recommend you to other expert doctors to seek the medical perspective.

Conclusion

Brisbane endocrinologists are one of the best endocrinologists in the world that provide the best treatments. They are used to treat endocrine disorders including thyroid cancer, deficiency of growth hormones, diabetes, etc.

Examples of treatments that endocrinologists use include hormone replacement therapy for treating an adrenal disorder and insulin therapy to manage type 1 diabetes.

You can consult the finest endocrinologist Brisbane. They might ask you some questions concerning your signs and symptoms, the disorder you have as well as your case history.

 

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