Other hormone conditions

Guides on pituitary, adrenal, cholesterol and other hormone problems.

• The story of a plaque: from cholesterol to a heart attackLDL cholesterol slowly seeps into the walls of your arteries and builds a fatty, inflamed lump called a plaque. A heart attack usually happens when a plaque cracks and a blood clot forms on it, suddenly blocking blood flow to the heart. Lowering LDL with lifestyle changes and medicines makes plaques smaller and more stable, and less likely to burst.
• How does ezetimibe work?Ezetimibe lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol by blocking a protein in the small intestine that absorbs cholesterol from food and bile. It works differently from statins, so doctors often combine the two when a statin alone is not enough or is not tolerated.
• Pituitary apoplexy: symptoms, treatment and recoveryPituitary apoplexy is a medical emergency in which a pituitary tumour suddenly bleeds or loses its blood supply and swells. It typically causes a sudden, severe headache with vision problems, double vision or drowsiness, and can cause a dangerous drop in the stress hormone cortisol. Urgent hospital care with steroid treatment, and sometimes surgery, usually leads to good recovery, but many people need long-term hormone replacement.
• Who is an endocrinologist, and when should you see one?An endocrinologist is a super-specialist doctor who treats problems of the hormone glands and metabolism, such as diabetes, thyroid disorders, PCOS, obesity, weak bones, and pituitary and adrenal problems. In India, a qualified endocrinologist has an MD or DNB in medicine or paediatrics followed by a DM, DNB or DrNB in endocrinology.