Health Library
Conditions & Symptoms A–Z
Plain-language explanations of 60 conditions we treat at SIMS — written the way a consultant would explain them across the desk. Each entry sets out the symptoms, the point at which you should stop waiting, the tests usually advised and how the condition is treated here.
Browse the A–Z
Hormones & Metabolism
Choose a system below to narrow the list to that body system.
Showing 6 of 60 conditions
Hormones & Metabolism (6)
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a long-term condition in which the body cannot use insulin effectively, so blood sugar stays high. It damages the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and blood vessels quietly over years, which is why control matters even when a person feels perfectly well.
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas stops producing insulin altogether, usually appearing in childhood or adolescence. It is not caused by diet or sweets, and it requires insulin from the day of diagnosis for life.
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism means the thyroid gland is producing too little hormone, slowing down the body's metabolism. It is common, easily diagnosed with a single blood test, and straightforward to treat.
Hyperthyroidism
Hyperthyroidism is an overactive thyroid gland producing too much hormone, which speeds up the heart and metabolism. It is frequently mistaken for anxiety or a heart problem before the thyroid is tested.
Obesity
Obesity is an excess of body fat significant enough to affect health, and it drives diabetes, high blood pressure, fatty liver, joint disease and sleep apnoea. Central weight around the abdomen matters more than the number on the scale.
Dyslipidaemia
Dyslipidaemia is an abnormal level of cholesterol or triglycerides in the blood. It produces no symptoms, but it silently narrows the arteries supplying the heart and brain, and it is one of the few heart-attack risks that can be measured with a single blood test.
These pages describe conditions in general terms. They cannot tell you what is wrong with you, and self-diagnosis delays treatment far more often than it speeds it up. For chest pain, stroke symptoms, breathing difficulty, serious injury, seizures or heavy bleeding, call 108 or come straight to the emergency department.
Found the condition but not the answer?
Every entry links to the department that treats it. Book a consultation and a specialist will tell you which parts of it apply to your case.