Clinical endocrinology

摘要

In most systems we are only concerned with "organ-failure" and loss of function. The endocrine system, however, produces diseases associated with "hyperfunction" as well as hypofunction (or failure). Both functional states can be produced by primary lesions (disease in the endocrine gland) or by secondary lesions (primary lesion is in the pituitary gland and produces a secondary effect in the target endocrine organ).