Advanced General Medicine Conference

摘要

There are two types of endocrine tissue, one gathered in glands – this is classical endocrinology. The other is dispersed endocrine cells spread throughout particular tissues – the diffuse endocrine system. The latter, although less well recognised is the larger and, arguably the more important. Hormones are actually even wider than this – hormones being released from many cells not normally thought as endocrine (paracrine and neurocrine). The gut is controlled by both diffuse endocrine cells and non-endocrine cells producing “hormones”. The endocrine cells are mostly in the mucosa and integrate with the submucous neural plexus as well as sensing what has been eaten. From the physicians viewpoint there are two main conditions of interest – gastrointestinal endocrine tumours and dysfunctional regulation of digestion. Endocrine tumours are important because they are eminently treatable. Our understanding of digestive regulation is less well developed but shows the tight integration of the body as several gut hormones have powerful effects on how we think and behave.