Read the text carefully to obtain detailed understanding of it. The endocrine system is a complex group of glands that helps to control reproduction, metabolism, growth and development through substances called hormones

The endocrine system is a complex group of glands that helps to control reproduction, metabolism, growth and development through substances called hormones. It also controls the way you respond to your surroundings and provides the proper amount of energy your body needs to function. Sometimes the glands of the endocrine system are impaired and can cause a hormone imbalance. This hormone imbalance (or endocrine disease/condition) can affect your health in many ways, and some endocrine system diseases/conditions are more serious than others.

Diabetes is a metabolic disease caused by the body's inability to use the hormone insulin to effectively convert carbohydrates into the simple sugar glucose, that cells store and use to perform vital functions. Without glucose to fuel their activity, the cells use fat instead, producing ketones as a waste product. Ketones build up in blood and disrupt brain functions. Common signs of diabetes are excessive thirst, urination, and fatigue. The disease can also cause vision loss, decreased blood supply to hands and feet, pain, and skin infections. If left untreated diabetes can induce coma and cause death.

There are two main types of diabetes. Juvenile diabetes (also called Type I) occurs when the pancreas, a gland attached to the small intestine, fails to produce enough insulin; as a result, it is also referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Maturity-onset diabetes, or Type II non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. occurs when the body produces insulin but cannot use it efficiently. Juvenile diabetes is usually controlled by doses of insulin and a strict diet. Maturity-onset diabetes, which is often accompanied by obesity, is usually controlled by diet alone.

Deaths from ketoacidosis and diabetic coma have decreased over the years. However, long-term complications from diabetes began to increase as diabetics' life span increased. Some of these complications are kidney failure, heart disease, blindness, and nervous system disorders, all of which are believed to be the results of elevated blood-glucose levels. Today, glucose levels are controlled by injecting rapidly absorbed insulin just before each meal. Added to this dosage, the slowly absorbed insulin can then be injected or pumped in by a prosthetic implant device between meals to maintain low insulin concentrations. The amounts required are determined by frequent blood-glucose measurements.

For overweight, non-insulin-dependent diabetics, controlling diet, avoiding foods high in sugar and carbohydrates, and encouraging weight loss may be sufficient treatment. A regular program of physical exercise is also recommended as an important part of diabetes treatment. Exercise utilizes surplus blood glucose and helps a person to both lose and maintain weight. In addition, non-insulin-dependent-type oral drugs may stimulate the pancreas to secrete additional insulin. It may be necessary to give injections of insulin.

Diabetes can be particularly difficult to manage during adolescence, when elevated levels of certain growth hormones make controlling blood glucose levels difficult. In addition, adolescents sometimes resist the dietary restrictions and close monitoring necessary to maintain good health. The most serious problem diabetic children face is hypoglycaemia, or low blood glucose. Common symptoms in young children include misbehaviour and irritability, although symptoms can vary from episode to episode. Hypoglycaemia is easily treated by eating a sweet food. Parents are advised to inform teachers about symptoms and to enlist their help іn maintaining the routines necessary to manage diabetes, including frequent testing of blood glucose levels, eating snacks before exercise, careful diet, and close monitoring of insulin dosage.

A relatively new treatment for type II diabetes is the drug Glucophage. Glucophage affects how the body handles its own insulin, increasing its effectiveness. With only a few side effects (diarrhoea, nausea, bloating) that fade after the body adjusts to the medication, Glucophage offers an alternative to those who don't respond to changes in diet and exercise.

Goitre is a swelling in the neck, caused by a malfunction of the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland, located in the base of the neck, absorbs iodine from the blood and uses this to produce hormones that regulate many body functions, including growth, nerve function, and absorption of vitamins and calcium. If the thyroid gland does not receive enough iodine from the blood, the gland may enlarge, causing a goitre. A goitre can also develop if the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormones, a condition called hypothyroidism. Goitre is also present in hyperthyroidism, when the gland produces too much thyroid hormone.

There are two forms of thyroid disorder, however, that affect children regardless of diet. Congenital hypo­thyroidism is a disorder in which a child may be born with an underactive thyroid gland. Symptoms appear when the baby is six to twelve weeks old, and include cool, mottled or yellowish skin, coarse hair, and a dull appetite. The baby's neck will look unusually short and fat. The facial features are also affected: the bridge of the nose is underdeveloped, so the nose appears flat and the eyes seem widely spaced, and the tongue is thick and protrudes.

Hyperthyroidism, or overproduction of thyroid hormones, usually affects older women, and only rarely affects children. In children with this condition, goitre may develop, and the eyes may bulge out. Just the opposite of hypothyroidism, the hyperthyroid child grows faster than normal and may have flushed, warm skin, and increased heart rate. The child may be restless and irritable, unable to concentrate, and tire easily. All these symptoms can be reversed by medical treatment. Treatment usually involves medication that blocks the excess hormone production. Surgery may be needed to remove the thyroid gland or reduce its size.

The symptoms of thyroid malfunction are usually obvious, and can be confirmed with a blood test. Paediatricians normally keep careful records of a child's growth and weight gain, and can use these to diagnose the slowed or increased growth symptomatic of thyroid disease. Any swelling on a child's neck should be given prompt medical attention. Treatment of thyroid problems, especially if undertaken promptly, are usually successful and without serious side effects.