Anosmia
The complete loss of smell can be defined as anosmia. This condition could be temporary or permanent. Though not a serious health condition, anosmia could lead to loss of interest in food.
Anosmia causes
Loss of smell due to damage to the brain or nerves can happen due to age, brain tumor or injury, hormonal imbalance, diabetes, Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's disease. Nasal problems such as polyps or tumor can lead to loss of smell or impaired smell.
Anosmia treatment
Surgery can be done in case of nasal blocks. Antihistamines to treat allergies that cause loss of smell.
Endocrinologist
The keen focus in the study of endocrinology is on the endocrine organs such as the pituitary, adrenals, thyroid, testes, ovaries and pancreas. The most important function of these organs is to secrete hormones and in balanced levels. Human body does not always secrete balanced levels of hormones from these glands and thus a hormonal imbalance occurs. This hormonal imbalance is called as endocrinopathy or endocrinosis, this field of study points out the functioning and how to fix the malfunctioning of any of the endocrine glands. A doctor who specializes in the treatment of endocrine disorders is called an endocrinologist. The doctor specializes in fields such as diabetes (malfunctioning of the pancreas), hyperthyroidism (malfunctioning of the thyroid glands) etc.
After completion of medical school, and after three to four years of internship and residency, further specialization of two or three years is needed. Special branches of endocrinologists:
Galactorrhea
Also known as hyperlactation, galactorrhea is a rare condition wherein a grayish or white liquid is discharged from the breast. Galactorrhea by itself is not a disease, but it surely is a sign of an underlying problem like hormonal imbalance, tumor, etc. Any fluid discharge from the breast after menopausal stage in women could indicate breast cancer. However, the discharge related with breast cancer will be from one breast only. In galactorrhea, generally both breasts are involved. Presence of blood in the fluid discharged from the breast could be indicative of a benign growth in the breast tissue itself.
Galactorrhea cause
- Birth control pills
- Hypothyroidism
- A non-cancerous pituitary tumor or any other disorder of the pituitary gland
- Medications like antidepressants, tranquilizers (a few), high blood pressure drugs and hormonal supplements
- Chronic kidney disease
- Spinal cord surgery or tumor
Galactorrhea symptoms
- Persistent or sporadic milky type of discharge, the discharge has no blood
- Unexpected milk leak or manually expressed nipple discharge
- One or both breasts get affected
- Irregular menstrual periods or no menstrual periods
- Headaches and/or vision problems
- Acne
- Increased hair growth on chin or chest
Diagnostic tools such as ultrasound, mammography and MRI to check for tumor are used.
Bibliography / Reference
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