The continuation of examining Social Security’s listings of impairments includes endocrine disorders. Despite the fact that millions of people suffer from these types of disorders, there are many people who have no idea what endocrine refers to. Endocrine relates to glands that secrete hormones or other products directly into the blood.
An endocrine disorder is a medical condition that causes a hormonal imbalance. Social Security has an entire listing on these conditions in determining whether they are disabling enough to be considered for disability benefits. When an endocrine gland functions abnormally, producing either too much of a specific hormone or too little, the hormonal imbalance can cause various complications in the body. The major glands of the endocrine system are the pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, and pancreas.
How Social Security Evaluates These Disorders
- Pituitary gland disorders can disrupt hormone production and normal functioning in other endocrine glands and in many body systems. The effects of pituitary gland disorders vary depending on which hormones are involved. For example, when pituitary has diminished functioning it affects water and electrolyte balance in the kidney and leads to diabetes.
- Thyroid gland disorders affect the sympathetic nervous system and normal metabolism. Social Secuirty evaluates thyroid-related changes in blood pressure and heart rate that cause arrhythmias or other cardiac dysfunction.
- Parathyroid gland disorders affect calcium levels in bone, blood, nerves, muscle, and other body tissues. Social Security evaluates parathyroid-related osteoporosis and fractures under listing 1.00; abnormally elevated calcium levels in the blood (hypercalcemia) that lead to cataracts under listing 2.00; kidney failure under listing 6.00; and recurrent abnormally low blood calcium levels (hypocalcemia) that lead to increased excitability of nerves and muscles, such as tetany and muscle spasms, under listing 11.00.
- Adrenal gland disorders affect bone calcium levels, blood pressure, metabolism, and mental status. Social Security officials evaluate adrenal-related osteoporosis with fractures that compromises the ability to walk or to use the upper extremities under listing 1.00; adrenal-related hypertension that worsens heart failure or causes recurrent arrhythmias under listing 4.00; adrenal-related weight loss under listing 5.00; and mood disorders under listing 12.00.
- Diabetes mellitus and other pancreatic gland disorders disrupt the production of several hormones, including insulin, that regulate metabolism and digestion. Insulin is essential to the absorption of glucose from the bloodstream into body cells for conversion into cellular energy. The most common pancreatic gland disorder is diabetes mellitus (DM). There are two major types of DM: type 1 and type 2. Both type 1 and type 2 DM are chronic disorders that can have serious disabling complications that meet the duration requirement. Type 1 DM–previously known as “juvenile diabetes” or “insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus” (IDDM)–is an absolute deficiency of insulin production that commonly begins in childhood and continues throughout adulthood. Treatment of type 1 DM always requires lifelong daily insulin. With type 2 DM–previously known as “adult-onset diabetes mellitus” or “non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus” (NIDDM)–the body’s cells resist the effects of insulin, impairing glucose absorption and metabolism. Treatment of type 2 DM generally requires lifestyle changes, such as increased exercise and dietary modification, and sometimes insulin in addition to other medications. While both type 1 and type 2 DM are usually controlled, some persons do not achieve good control for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, hypoglycemia unawareness, other disorders that can affect blood glucose levels, inability to manage DM due to a mental disorder, or inadequate treatment.
