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Asked by n4t4nb to Derek, Elaine, Heather, Keith on 25 Jun 2013.
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Heather Eyre answered on 25 Jun 2013:
Yes there are lots of diseases caused by hormones,
not being able to make(type1) or respond(type2)to insulin causes diabetes
abnormal thyroxine levels cause hyop (low) and hyper (high) thyroidism
Stress is associated with high cortisol and adrenaline levels
growth hormone can be too high or low making you really big or really small
and having the wrong levels of sex hormones can affect fertility
And there are lots more too!
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Elaine Marshall answered on 25 Jun 2013:
Hormones have a lot to do with illness. Usually because they are at incorrect levels. Hormones are essential for the correct response of a cell to its environment and if the cell can’t work properly due this may lead to the cell not working properly or doing the right thing at the right time.
There are a number of ways a hormone signal can go wrong. Firstly the cell may not have the correct receptor or perhaps the receptor isn’t working properly – then the affected cell can’t detect a signal. Also other cells many not produce the correct level or hormone – too high or too low. This directly impacts how all the target cells will respond.
Think about insulin- insulin is produced by the the pancreas in response to high blood glucose. If the pancreas doesn’t produce insulin we develop type 1 diabetes. However if we don’t produce enough insulin or if the target cells fail to respond correctly to insulin signalling we develop type 2 diabetes.
There are loads of other instances too – google for example Addison’s, Poly cystic ovary syndrome. But don’t forget plants also have “hormones” and the mechanisms outline above also applies to them.
Comments
Elaine commented on :
sorry Heather we answered at the same time!