| Term | Definition |
| Diabetes Mellitus | A type of metabolic disease in which the person has high blood sugar levels because the pancreas does not produce sufficient insulin or cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. |
| Second messenger | Substances such as cyclic AMP that transmit and amplify the message delivered by a hormone (first messenger) to a cell. |
| Cyclic AMP | Cyclic adenosine monophosphate is a chemical substance that is called a second messenger because it amplifies the message sent to a cell by a hormone. |
| Glycogen | A polysaccharide nutrient that is stored in liver and muscle cells and can be easily converted to glucose when cells require energy. |
| Endocrine glands | Glands that secrete their products directly into blood rather than through a duct. |
| Neurohormones | A hormone that is produced by the neurosecretory cells of the nervous system. |
| Testosterone | A sex hormone that stimulates the development of male sex organs, secondary sexual characteristics and sperm. It is produced mainly in the testes, but also in the ovaries and the adrenal cortex of both males and females. |
| Germ Theory | States that many diseases are caused by the presence and actions of specific microorganisms within the body. |
| Goiter | Abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland. |
| Glucose | A monosaccharide nutrient used by body cells as the primary source of energy. |
| Humoral | Of or relating to body fluids. |
| Insulin | A polypeptide hormone produced by the beta cells of the pancreas that regulates the metabolism of sugar and fat. |
| Symptoms | Any departure from normal function that is reported or felt by the patient. |
| Norepinephrine | A substance that is both a hormone (when released by the adrenal medulla) and a neurotransmitter (when released by sympathetic nerves) and acts to mobilize the body for action. |
| Hormone | A chemical released by a cell, a gland, or an organ in one part of the body that affects cells in other parts of the body. |
| Palpitation | An abnormally rapid, strong, or irregular heartbeat. |
| Graves' Disease | is an autoimmune disease that causes the thyroid gland to overproduce thyroid hormone. |
| Exophthalmos | Bulging of the eye anteriorly out of the eye socket. |
| Endocrinology | The study of the endocrine glands, actions of hormones and their metabolic consequences in the body. |
| Diabetes Insipidus | A disorder that is characterized by excessive thirst and excessive urination, caused by irregularities in production or response to a hormone called vasopressin. |
| Secretin | A polypeptide hormone produced by the small intestine that activates the pancreas during digestion to secrete pancreatic juice. |
| Phosphorylase | An enzyme that adds a phosphate group to an organic molecule. |
