Endocrinology at Summit Health provides treatment for endocrine diseases that can affect your glands. Our endocrinologists treat hormone imbalances that are often complex and involve many systems in the body.
The Endocrine System
The endocrine system is comprised of a complex group of organs called glands that exist throughout the body. Glands produce hormones that are secreted directly into the bloodstream.
Hormones control many activities in your body, including reproduction, metabolism, growth, and development. They also influence the way you respond to your surroundings and help give you the energy your body needs to function.
Glands of the endocrine system are:
- Pituitary – located in the brain
- Hypothalamus – located in the brain
- Thymus – located in the upper chest
- Pineal – located in the brain
- Testes – male reproductive glands
- Ovaries – female reproductive glands
- Thyroid – located in the throat area
- Parathyroid – located on the thyroid
- Adrenals – located in the abdomen
- Pancreas – located in the abdomen
Endocrine Disease
Endocrine conditions include:
- Diabetes – a disease that affects the production of insulin or the body’s response to (or ability to absorb) insulin, causing high blood sugar
- Thyroid diseases – disorders of the thyroid that can involve too much (hyperthyroidism) or too little (hypothyroidism) hormone production
- Metabolic disorders – conditions that affect how the body uses food, which can often lead to excessive weight gain
- Cancers of the endocrine glands, including thyroid cancer
- Osteoporosis – a disease that causes bone loss
- Cholesterol (lipid) disorders – conditions that cause abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which can lead to other diseases such as heart disease and atherosclerosis
Our Endocrinology Services
Summit Health endocrinologists can efficiently and effectively evaluate, treat, and help manage endocrine conditions using:
- Dual-emission X ray absorptiometry (DEXA) bone mineral density scanning
- Nuclear endocrinology and thyroid scanning
- Thyroid ultrasound and ultrasound-guided thyroid biopsy
- Our full-service on-site medical laboratory
Pediatric Endocrinology treats endocrine disease in infants and children. The most common endocrine system disorders in children result from or include diabetes, obesity, physical growth abnormalities, and abnormal sexual development.
