The adrenal glands in Jamaican infants

Stirling, G. A.

doi:10.1002/path.1700770227

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 11 publications

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“…Conversely, although thyroid weights of children suffering from PCM in Jamaica were decreased, no major histological alteration was found (Stirling, 1962). Adrenal pathology is similarly controversial, being described as atrophic (Chatterji & Sen Gupta, 1960;Stirling, 1959) or hyperplastic (Bablet & Canet, 1952;Platt & Stewart, 1967).…”

Section: H I S T O L O G I C O B S E R V a T I O N Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Endocrine Function in Protein‐calorie Malnutrition

Pimstone

1976

Clinical Endocrinology

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Undernutrition is widespread. In spite of the research and development being directed towards its prevention and alleviation, the weight of numbers as well as social, cultural, economic and technological considerations make eradication unlikely in the foreseeable future. Ironically, malnutrition is often endemic in areas in which sophisticated medical facilities exist; the problem clearly goes deeper than the mere availability of medical care. But this curious juxtaposition of poverty and medical sophistication has allowed numerous workers to study endocrine function in protein-calorie malnutrition (PCM). As hormones such as glucagon, insulin, growth hormone and cortisol are concerned with the efficient utilization of food, storage and expenditure of energy, and the latter three hormones with synthesis of body protein, it has been suggested that adaptive changes based on alterations in hormone secretion of function might allow for better survival of the threatened individual (Monckeberg, 1968); this conclusion, however, must be regarded as speculative at present; an alternative explanation might be that they are non-specific consequences of severe nutritional deprivation.This review is not primarily concerned with hormonal changes in prolonged fasting, nor will it refer in great depth to animal models of malnutrition which, while they have the advantage of producing more precise quantitation of the deficit, may not always be relevant to the situation in man. For infantile malnutrition is not merely the deprivation of proteins and calories ; it is inevitably associated with variable degrees of vitamin and mineral deficiency, intercurrent infection and electrolyte changes. To what extent hormonal changes are attributable to malnutrition as opposed to associated phenomena is not always apparent, but these might be very relevant in considering the pathogenesis of endocrine dysfunction in the human as opposed to the experimental context.

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