Anaesthesia Fundamentals | Physiology | The Physiology of Hormones

The Physiology of Hormones
Session Overview
Description
This session gives a broad overview of the hormone/endocrine system, including the key systems. It covers types of hormones, modes of action and a brief description of the assessment of hormonal function.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Identify in broad terms the major functions of the hormone/endocrine system
• List the relevant terminology
• List the differing target sites of hormones, i.e. membrane, cytoplasm, nuclear
• Identify the functional relevance of the target sites
• Identify how hormonal release and termination of actions are controlled

The endocrine system has been described as a diverse group of cell types principally responsible for the secretion of chemicals within the body. These secretions occur in response to specific changes, in order to counteract those changes and maintain a status quo. This description only partially explains what is increasingly understood to be a complex system.

Hormones also control many of the developmental aspects of the body including growth, maturation, body mass, reproduction and behaviour.

The number of hormones identified is still increasing. Some of these have functions dependent on other hormones' actions.