Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsEndocrine DisordersCauses of Endocrine DisordersHow Are Endocrine Disorders Diagnosed?What Is Autoimmune Disease?Causes of Autoimmune DiseasesWhat Are the Symptoms of Autoimmune Disease?How Is Autoimmune Disease Diagnosed and Treated?
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Endocrine Disorders
Causes of Endocrine Disorders
How Are Endocrine Disorders Diagnosed?
What Is Autoimmune Disease?
Causes of Autoimmune Diseases
What Are the Symptoms of Autoimmune Disease?
How Is Autoimmune Disease Diagnosed and Treated?
Endocrine disordersare diseases and conditions that affect your endocrine system. The endocrine system includes glands and organs that secrete hormones. The hormones travel through the blood to affect other organs in the body.
andresr / Getty Images
Your key endocrine glands include:
Some of the most common endocrine disorders are number of thyroid-related conditions, including:
Some other common endocrine disorders include:
Endocrine disorders have a number of causes, including:
Endocrine disorders are commonly diagnosed based on symptoms, medical history, blood tests, and in some cases, imaging tests, and biopsies.
Typically, endocrine disorders cause a deficiency or excess of hormones, so testing for the presence, excess, or deficiency of hormones and the body’s ability to produce them when provoked is a key step in the diagnosis.
For example:
The immune system is complex, and its job is to protect us from diseases and defend against infections, including bacteria, viruses, and pathogens.
Some of the better-known autoimmune diseases include Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Graves’ disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and alopecia.
Often, there isn’t a clearcause of most autoimmune diseases, and they can develop sporadically, without a tumor or family history of the condition. But certain factors can increase the risk of developing an autoimmune disease—genetics, toxic exposures, stress, pregnancy, and nutritional deficiencies.
Autoimmune diseases can be complicated to diagnose, because in some cases, earlysymptomsmay be vague and non-specific, such as fatigue, muscle aches and pain, and brain fog. Sometimes autoimmune conditions cause inflammation, and that can cause swelling or discomfort.
Other symptoms really depend on the target of the autoimmune disease.
Autoimmune disease diagnosis and treatment depends on the disease. The diagnosis process typically includes a clinical examination, family history, and blood tests as a starting point.
Blood tests may measure key functions of organs that are targeted, but the key measures typically are evaluations of antibody levels, and markers and measures of inflammation and inflammatory responses in the body, such as anantinuclear antibody test (ANA).
In some cases, imaging tests may be performed, such as X-rays to assess joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis, or an MRI to look for brain lesions in multiple sclerosis. Less often, a biopsy may be needed to differentiate benign from cancerous lesions or to help detect immune markers in organs or glands that are not evident from blood tests.
Treatment
Treatment of autoimmune diseases frequently aims to reduce inflammation, relieve symptoms, and rebalance affected hormones. In the cases of debilitating autoimmune diseases, modulation of the immune system to slow the rate of permanent damage to organs and tissues may be an important part of treatment.
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Golden SH, Robinson KA, Saldanha I, Anton B, Ladenson PW.Clinical review: Prevalence and incidence of endocrine and metabolic disorders in the United States: a comprehensive review.J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009;94(6):1853–1878. doi:10.1210/jc.2008-2291Yu J.Endocrine disorders and the neurologic manifestations.Ann Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2014;19(4):184–190. doi:10.6065/apem.2014.19.4.184Ctvrtlik F, Koranda P, Tichy T.Adrenal disease: a clinical update and overview of imaging. A review.Biomedical Papers. 2014;158(1):023-034. doi:10.5507/bp.2014.010Sacks DB, Arnold M, Bakris GL.Guidelines and Recommendations for Laboratory Analysis in the Diagnosis and Management of Diabetes Mellitus.Diabetes Care. 2011;34(6). doi:10.2337/dc11-9998Rosenfield RL.The Diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Adolescents.Pediatrics. 2015;136(6):1154-1165. doi:10.1542/peds.2015-1430Soh SB, Aw TC.Laboratory Testing in Thyroid Conditions - Pitfalls and Clinical Utility.Ann Lab Med. 2019;39(1):3–14. doi:10.3343/alm.2019.39.1.3Wang L, Wang F-S, Gershwin ME.Human autoimmune diseases: a comprehensive update.Journal of Internal Medicine. 2015;278(4):369-395. doi:10.1111/joim.12395Additional ReadingNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) Fact Sheet, March 2016. http://www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/autoimmuneU.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Medline Database. September 15, 2016.
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Golden SH, Robinson KA, Saldanha I, Anton B, Ladenson PW.Clinical review: Prevalence and incidence of endocrine and metabolic disorders in the United States: a comprehensive review.J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009;94(6):1853–1878. doi:10.1210/jc.2008-2291Yu J.Endocrine disorders and the neurologic manifestations.Ann Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2014;19(4):184–190. doi:10.6065/apem.2014.19.4.184Ctvrtlik F, Koranda P, Tichy T.Adrenal disease: a clinical update and overview of imaging. A review.Biomedical Papers. 2014;158(1):023-034. doi:10.5507/bp.2014.010Sacks DB, Arnold M, Bakris GL.Guidelines and Recommendations for Laboratory Analysis in the Diagnosis and Management of Diabetes Mellitus.Diabetes Care. 2011;34(6). doi:10.2337/dc11-9998Rosenfield RL.The Diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Adolescents.Pediatrics. 2015;136(6):1154-1165. doi:10.1542/peds.2015-1430Soh SB, Aw TC.Laboratory Testing in Thyroid Conditions - Pitfalls and Clinical Utility.Ann Lab Med. 2019;39(1):3–14. doi:10.3343/alm.2019.39.1.3Wang L, Wang F-S, Gershwin ME.Human autoimmune diseases: a comprehensive update.Journal of Internal Medicine. 2015;278(4):369-395. doi:10.1111/joim.12395Additional ReadingNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) Fact Sheet, March 2016. http://www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/autoimmuneU.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Medline Database. September 15, 2016.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Golden SH, Robinson KA, Saldanha I, Anton B, Ladenson PW.Clinical review: Prevalence and incidence of endocrine and metabolic disorders in the United States: a comprehensive review.J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009;94(6):1853–1878. doi:10.1210/jc.2008-2291Yu J.Endocrine disorders and the neurologic manifestations.Ann Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2014;19(4):184–190. doi:10.6065/apem.2014.19.4.184Ctvrtlik F, Koranda P, Tichy T.Adrenal disease: a clinical update and overview of imaging. A review.Biomedical Papers. 2014;158(1):023-034. doi:10.5507/bp.2014.010Sacks DB, Arnold M, Bakris GL.Guidelines and Recommendations for Laboratory Analysis in the Diagnosis and Management of Diabetes Mellitus.Diabetes Care. 2011;34(6). doi:10.2337/dc11-9998Rosenfield RL.The Diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Adolescents.Pediatrics. 2015;136(6):1154-1165. doi:10.1542/peds.2015-1430Soh SB, Aw TC.Laboratory Testing in Thyroid Conditions - Pitfalls and Clinical Utility.Ann Lab Med. 2019;39(1):3–14. doi:10.3343/alm.2019.39.1.3Wang L, Wang F-S, Gershwin ME.Human autoimmune diseases: a comprehensive update.Journal of Internal Medicine. 2015;278(4):369-395. doi:10.1111/joim.12395
Golden SH, Robinson KA, Saldanha I, Anton B, Ladenson PW.Clinical review: Prevalence and incidence of endocrine and metabolic disorders in the United States: a comprehensive review.J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009;94(6):1853–1878. doi:10.1210/jc.2008-2291
Yu J.Endocrine disorders and the neurologic manifestations.Ann Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2014;19(4):184–190. doi:10.6065/apem.2014.19.4.184
Ctvrtlik F, Koranda P, Tichy T.Adrenal disease: a clinical update and overview of imaging. A review.Biomedical Papers. 2014;158(1):023-034. doi:10.5507/bp.2014.010
Sacks DB, Arnold M, Bakris GL.Guidelines and Recommendations for Laboratory Analysis in the Diagnosis and Management of Diabetes Mellitus.Diabetes Care. 2011;34(6). doi:10.2337/dc11-9998
Rosenfield RL.The Diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Adolescents.Pediatrics. 2015;136(6):1154-1165. doi:10.1542/peds.2015-1430
Soh SB, Aw TC.Laboratory Testing in Thyroid Conditions - Pitfalls and Clinical Utility.Ann Lab Med. 2019;39(1):3–14. doi:10.3343/alm.2019.39.1.3
Wang L, Wang F-S, Gershwin ME.Human autoimmune diseases: a comprehensive update.Journal of Internal Medicine. 2015;278(4):369-395. doi:10.1111/joim.12395
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) Fact Sheet, March 2016. http://www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/autoimmuneU.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Medline Database. September 15, 2016.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
