Trusted Endocrine Expertise to Help You Thrive Again
Your hormones help regulate many of your body's essential functions, including metabolism, growth, energy levels, blood sugar, weight and temperature control. When the endocrine system isn't working properly, it can affect how your body processes and uses energy, leading to conditions such as diabetes, thyroid disorders, osteoporosis, adrenal conditions, and other metabolic disorders.
At UChicago Medicine AdventHealth, our endocrinology specialists provide personalized care to diagnose, manage and treat a wide range of hormone- and metabolism-related conditions, helping you achieve better health and well-being at every stage of life.
Endocrine Conditions We Treat
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Addison’s Disease
Our experts treat Addison’s disease, a condition in which the body’s adrenal glands are unable to produce enough cortisol and aldosterone hormones.
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Adrenal Cancer
This rare and aggressive condition affects the adrenal glands, causing three kinds of cancerous adrenal tumors, which result in various symptoms like Cushing’s syndrome.
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Bone Development
Various endocrine system diseases significantly affect your hormones, impacting bone development and maintenance.
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Cushing’s Disease
This disease is classified as a hormonal disorder that’s caused by prolonged exposure to high levels of cortisol.
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Developmental Disorders
Since endocrine diseases affect our hormones, this can cause various developmental disorders in children and impair their cognitive functioning.
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Diabetes
Various endocrine diseases can cause hormonal imbalances in insulin, the key hormone for regulating blood sugar, which could lead to diabetes.
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Glucose Intolerance
Insulin resistance and increased glucose production are common in people with endocrine diseases and can often lead to glucose intolerance.
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Goiter
A goiter is a swollen thyroid gland typically caused by iodine deficiency, Graves’ disease or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
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Graves’ Disease
Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes the thyroid gland to produce too much thyroid hormone, known as hyperthyroidism.
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Hashimoto’s Disease
Hashimoto's disease develops when the immune system mistakenly attacks and inflames the thyroid, disrupting its ability to produce those vital hormones.
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High Calcium
High calcium, or hypercalcemia, is a medical condition where the level of calcium in your blood is above normal, which can weaken your bones, create kidney stones and interfere with how your heart and brain work.
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High Cholesterol
Various endocrine diseases can disrupt normal cholesterol metabolism, which could lead to high cholesterol.
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Hyperglycemia
This condition occurs when too much glucose is produced in your blood and is common in patients with diabetes.
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Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland underproduces certain hormones that the body needs to function properly.
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Irregular Periods/Infertility
Irregular periods and infertility are reproductive health issues where the menstrual cycle does not follow a predictable pattern, which can make it difficult to conceive a pregnancy without medical support.
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Low Testosterone/Male Infertility
Low testosterone and male infertility are hormonal imbalances and reproductive issues where the body produces insufficient testosterone, leading to a reduced sperm count or poor sperm quality that impairs the ability to father children without medical support.
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Obesity
Obesity is when a person’s body mass index (BMI) is 30.0 or above due to excessive body fat, raising their risk of health problems like heart disease.
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Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS)
PMOS is a common hormone disorder that causes an overproduction of androgen along with the formulation of multiple cysts on the ovaries.
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Thyroid Cancer
Thyroid cancer occurs when cells within the thyroid gland become abnormal and multiply at an accelerated rate.
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Thyroid Nodules
Thyroid nodules are solid or fluid-filled lumps that form within the thyroid gland at the base of the neck. While most are noncancerous and harmless, some require medical evaluation.
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Thyrotoxicosis
This condition occurs when the body produces too much thyroid hormone (the hormone that controls metabolism).
Expert Diagnosis and Management of Endocrine Conditions
Your body’s endocrine system controls the production of hormones and includes the pancreas, thyroid, parathyroid, pineal, hypothalamus, adrenal and pituitary glands, ovaries and testes. If your endocrine system produces too much or too little of a certain hormone, you may develop endocrine disorders and symptoms. You can trust that we’ll work to help you balance your hormones effectively with whole-person care.
- Signs and Symptoms of Endocrine Disorders
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The endocrine system is complex and uses hormones to coordinate growth, energy, reproduction and other functions. Any change to one gland will cause changes in another.
And because hormone levels affect the entire body, there’s no specific set of symptoms for endocrine disorders. Thyroid problems, for example, could cause sudden weight loss and tremors, while diseases of the parathyroid gland could cause depression and osteoporosis. But, overall, the most common symptoms are weakness and fatigue, which cause a significant change in your daily routine.
- Endocrinology and Diabetes Care
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Our endocrinologists are well-versed in effective diabetes management. They can help you better understand your symptoms, prescribe medications and suggest a customized diabetic diet to help you live more comfortably.
We offer treatment for:
- Gestational diabetes
- Type 1 diabetes
- Type 2 diabetes
Find Endocrinology Care That’s Focused on You
When chronic fatigue and weakness keep you from enjoying life, we can help. At UChicago Medicine AdventHealth, our skilled team of endocrinologists wants to help you feel whole again by treating your symptoms while healing and strengthening your spirit for better health overall.