05 Endocrine, Metabolic Diseases, and Immunity Disorders

05 00 Diabetes

05 01 Gaucher Disease

05 02 Hunter Syndrome

05 03 Immunodeficiency (SCID)

05 04 Kwashiorkor

05 05 Lupus

05 06 Marasmus

05 10 Rheumatoid Arthritis

The endocrine system is the collection of glands that produce hormones that regulate metabolism, growth and development, tissue function, sexual function, reproduction, sleep, and mood.

Metabolism is the body’s process of getting or making energy from food. Food consists of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Chemicals in the digestive system break the food down into sugars and acids, the body’s fuel. The body can use this fuel immediately or store the energy in tissues such as the liver, muscles, and body fat. A metabolic disorder occurs when abnormal chemical reactions in the body disrupt this process.

Your immune system is your body’s defense against infections and other harmful invaders. Without it, you would constantly get sick from bacteria or viruses. Your immune system comprises special cells, tissues, and organs that work together to protect you. White blood cells are the cells of the immune system. When your immune system doesn’t work as it should, it is called an immune system disorder.

Scroll down the site to find your disease or condition. Then, you look for the treatment color. The treatment colors are magenta (red-blue), blue, cyan (blue-green), green, yellow (red-green), and red. I give the treatment colors a number. Magenta = 0, blue = 1, cyan = 2, green = 3, yellow = 4, and red = 5. Diabetes would then be categorized as 05-00-0. Here, the last digit, the treatment color, is magenta. The first two digits are the disease/condition group (Endocrine, Metabolic Diseases, and Immunity Disorders are 05). The next two digits (Diabetes is 00) are the illness within the group, and the last digit (magenta is 0) is the treatment color.

When you use the projector, click on your treatment color, and a large image of it will appear. Make the color cover the whole page and project it onto yourself. When you use the LED light bulb, you choose your color manually.

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Blood glucose is your primary energy source and comes from food. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps glucose from food get into your cells to be used for energy.

Gaucher disease is a rare genetic disorder that is passed down from parents to children (inherited). In Gaucher disease, an enzyme that breaks down fatty substances called lipids is missing. As a result, lipids build up in specific organs, such as the spleen and liver, which can cause many different symptoms.

Hunter syndrome is a rare, inherited disorder in which the body does not correctly digest (break down) sugar molecules in the body. When these molecules build up in organs and tissues over time, they can cause damage that affects physical and mental development and abilities. The disorder almost always occurs in boys.

Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) is a group of rare disorders caused by gene mutations in developing and functioning infection-fighting immune cells. Infants with SCID appear healthy at birth but are highly susceptible to severe infections. The condition is fatal, usually within the first year or two of life, unless infants receive immune-restoring treatments, such as transplants of blood-forming stem cells, gene therapy, or enzyme therapy.

Kwashiorkor is a severe form of malnutrition. It’s most common in some developing regions where babies and children do not get enough protein or other essential nutrients in their diet.

The main sign of kwashiorkor is too much fluid in the body’s tissues, which causes swelling under the skin (edema). It usually begins in the legs but can involve the whole body, including the face.

Symptoms of kwashiorkor include an enlarged tummy (“potbelly”), dry, brittle hair that falls out quickly and may lose color, tiredness or irritability, and ridged or cracked nails.

Lupus is a disease that occurs when your body’s immune system attacks your tissues and organs (autoimmune disease). Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many body systems — including your joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart, and lungs.

Lupus can be difficult to diagnose because its signs and symptoms often mimic those of other ailments. For example, the most distinctive sign of lupus, a facial rash resembling a butterfly’s wings unfolding across both cheeks, occurs in many but not all cases.

Marasmus is a type of malnutrition that can affect young children in regions with unstable food supplies.

Signs of marasmus include thinness and loss of fat and muscle without any tissue swelling (edema).

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder affecting more than just your joints. The condition can damage various body systems in some people, including the skin, eyes, lungs, heart, and blood vessels.

An autoimmune disorder, rheumatoid arthritis, occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks your body’s tissues.

Rheumatoid arthritis affects the lining of your joints, causing painful swelling that can eventually lead to bone erosion and joint deformity.