Hormonal Problems Are Fairly Common - Essay Example

?Dear XYZ, Hope you are doing well. I heard from your sister that you were worried about some of the symptoms you have been experiencing lately and suspect that you have a hormone problem, so I thought I’d write to you and alleviate some of your concerns. I would like to assure you that you don’t need to be anxious regarding this issue. Hormonal problems are fairly common especially in women of reproductive age group. You need to understand that there are several different hormones in our body which are essential for different body functions. Hormones are like chemical messengers and they need to be present in the right amounts in order to effectively carry out their designated functions. Any upset in hormonal levels can result in symptoms. There are several tests which can be performed in order to diagnose abnormalities in hormonal functions. Firstly, in order to diagnose whether your blood sugar levels are within normal limits and whether your body is producing the right amounts of hormones needed to effectively utilize and store the sugars that we consume, there are a number of diagnostic tests. The first one is the fasting blood sugar. For this test you have to fast overnight (i.e. eat or drink nothing, except water, for about 8-12 hours) and give a blood sample. The level of sugar in your blood sample is compared against a reference range and if it is greater than 126 mg/dl on more than one occasion, it is diagnostic of diabetes (Encyclop?dia Britannica, 2011), which is an impairment in the body’s capacity to effectively utilize and store sugars. Another confirmatory test for diabetes is the glucose tolerance test, whereby you will be made to give two blood samples. To prepare for the test you have to eat a normal balanced diet for upto three days preceding the tests. Then, like for the fasting blood sugar test, you have to fast overnight, for duration of about 8 hours and the first blood sample is collected. After that you will be made to drink a liquid containing 75 grams of glucose and a second blood sample is taken 2 hours later (Encyclop?dia Britannica, 2011). The blood sugar values obtained are compared against normal standards and if the value of the blood sugar levels obtained 2 hours after the glucose drink exceeds 200 mg/dl, it is diagnostic of diabetes (Becker, 2001). One of the most important gland in our body is the pituitary gland, which releases various hormones required to stimulate all the other glands in our body to secrete their respective hormones. The pituitary gland in turn is stimulated by hormones secreted by the hypothalamus which is an important region in our brains. These together form the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. Inorder to evaluate the normal functioning of hypothalamic pituitary axis, the insulin tolerance test is carried out. The night prior to this test, you will be asked to fast, i.e. not eat or drink anything except water. The morning when the test is performed, you will be first injected with insulin, which is a substance which will lower your blood sugar. Our body’s normal response to low blood sugar levels is to secrete two hormones growth hormone (GH) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which in turn stimulates the secretion of another hormone called cortisol (National Institutes of Health (NIH), 2011). After the insulin injections timed blood samples will be taken and the levels of GH and cortisol will be checked and compared against the normal reference ranges to see whether the normal secretion of these substances in your body is present or not (National Institutes of Health (NIH), 2011). In order to evaluate the functioning of the thyroid gland, which is an important gland located in our neck, there are several tests. A complete panel of tests to assess proper functioning of the thyroid gland is termed as the thyroid function test. This panel includes levels of different form of thyroid hormones such as T3 and T4 which are different circulating forms of thyroid hormone in our bloodstream (American Thyroid Association, 2005). Moreover, this panel also includes measuring the level of TSH, or thyroid stimulating hormone, which is the hormone secreted by the pituitary gland, which stimulates the thyroid gland to secrete thyroid hormones. Stimulation of the thyroid gland by TSH is necessary for the adequate secretion of various forms of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland (American Thyroid Association, 2005). The levels of all these hormones are compared against the standard normal values and any aberrancies indicate malfunctioning of the thyroid gland or the pituitary gland, which manifests as hypo or hyper-thyroidism, i.e. a deficiency or excess of the thyroid hormones respectively. Similarly, another test to evaluate thyroid functioning is protein-bound iodine. This test is now obsolete. This test measures the levels of iodine which is bound to proteins circulating in our bloodstream. It is an indirect way of assessing the functioning of the thyroid gland, since all the thyroid hormones contain iodine as a part of their integral structure and are transported in the blood stream via binding to circulating proteins. Thus, measuring the levels of iodine bound to proteins indirectly measures the total levels of circulating thyroid hormones in the bloodstream (Encyclop?dia Britannica, 2011). Calcium is an important mineral in our body which is required for proper functioning of our heart and muscles and to maintain the strength and integrity of our bones (Ratini, 2002). The levels of calcium in our body are regulated by two main substances, viz. parathyroid hormone and Vitamin D. In order to indirectly evaluate the proper functioning of the parathyroid glands, a total calcium level is performed, since any abnormality in calcium levels is suggestive of possible malfunctioning of the parathyroid gland, amongst other possible causes. A blood sample is taken and the level of calcium measured is compared against the reference range. The normal range for calcium in the blood is 8.6-10.0 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) (Ratini, 2002). I hope this clarifies your views about the tests required to evaluate hormonal problems. If you have any other queries, feel free to contact me. Yours Sincerely, ABC References American Thyroid Association. (2005). Thyroid Function Tests. Retrieved February 9, 2011, from American Thyroid Association: http://www.thyroid.org/ Becker, K. L. (2001). Principles and practice of endocrinology and metabolism. Lippincott William and Wilkins. Encyclop?dia Britannica. (2011). Diabetes Mellitus. Retrieved February 9, 2011, from Encyclop?dia Britannica: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/160921/diabetes-mellitus Encyclop?dia Britannica. (2011). Protien Bound Iodine Test. Retrieved February 9, 2011, from Encyclop?dia Britannica: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/688081/protein-bound-iodine-test National Institutes of Health (NIH). (2011). Insulin tolerance test. Retrieved February 9, 2011, from National Institutes of Health: http://www.cc.nih.gov/ccc/patient_education/procdiag/insulintol.pdf Ratini, M. (2002, June 21). Total Calcium - Calcium. Retrieved February 9, 2011, from Medicine Online: http://www.medicineonline.com/topics/t/2/Total-Calcium/Calcium.html Read More