Endocrinology is the field of medicine that looks after patients with problems related to the production of too little or too much hormones, sometimes related to tumours within hormone-secreting glands.
Hormones are chemicals that are made by glands within the body and play important roles in how the body functions. Endocrine glands include the adrenals, gonads, thyroid, parathyroids and the pituitary gland that is located at the bottom of the brain. If a gland over-produces or under-produces hormones, or if it grows and develops tumours within it, this can lead to a variety of health problems. Endocrine disorders may be difficult to diagnose and some of them are rare.
More information about endocrinology and endocrine disease can be found at the Your Hormones website.