Question

pertaining to endocrine system what will you interpret if- (a) you observe swollen neck in the people living in The Hills (b) over secretion of growth hormone takes place during childhood (c) facial hair develops in boys aged 13.

Answer 1

i,Deficiency of iodine in drinking water in hill regions causes this disorder. This is called Endemic or simple goitre, generally it occurs along with cretinism. Enlargement of thyroid gland due to increased size and number of acinal cells inside thyroid gland is the main characteristic of this disease. That's why now a days table salts are being iodised to prevent this kind of deficiency disorders.

ii) Over secretion of growth hormone or STH(Somatotrophic Hormone) in childhood causes abnormally increased height(7-8 feet) and formation of longer bones  than usual.

iii) Male secondary sex characters like facial hair mainly appears in early stages of puberty, if a boy has facial hair at the age of 13, it can be concluded that he has reached his puberty which is normal at the age of 14-15. So, it's not Precocious Puberty due to over secretion of testosterone(facial hair at the age of 8-9). But it can be said that his testosterone levels are little higher than usual but it can be hardly categorised as any known disorder.