Video Transcript
Endocrine glands control major processes by releasing hormones in the body. When does a hormonal disorder develop? (A) When a hormone is released in the bloodstream. (B) Only when there is too little of a hormone released in the body. (C) Only when there is too much of a hormone released in the body. Or (D) When there is either too little or too much of a hormone released in the
body.
This question asks us about the general cause of a hormonal disorder. Endocrine glands control major processes in the body. How do they do this? There are a wide variety of endocrine glands in the body, for example, the thyroid or
the pancreas. Endocrine glands produce different types of chemical messengers, called hormones,
that travel in the blood.
Hormones regulate the activity of specific target cells to adjust our bodily
functions and keep us healthy. For example, the thyroxine hormones released by the thyroid adjust the way our cells
use energy. Insulin, which is a type of hormone released by the pancreas, adjusts the level of
glucose in our blood to keep it optimal.
To keep us healthy, the right amount of hormone must be released: not too little, not
too much. For example, if the pancreas stops releasing the hormone insulin, this can cause
diabetes, a condition that can have serious consequences for our body. Sometimes endocrine glands overwork and produce too much of their hormones. When this happens to the thyroid gland, it leads to a disorder called
hyperthyroidism.
Now, we can answer our question. A hormonal disorder develops when there is either too little or too much of a hormone
released in the body.
