Overview
Cleveland Clinic in Florida endocrinologists provide the latest care for common and rare endocrine disorders. These conditions affect glands and organs in your endocrine system that make and release hormones. Endocrine-related hormonal imbalances can affect your weight, blood sugar (glucose), fertility and other body functions.
Why Choose Cleveland Clinic in Florida for Endocrine Disorders Care?
- Trusted experts: Our fellowship-trained endocrinologists expertly manage all types of endocrine disorders, including those that need lifelong treatment. We partner with your primary care provider (PCP) and other specialists to lower your risk of health complications. Meet our doctors.
- Specialized knowledge: We offer expert care for common thyroid and parathyroid disorders and advanced care for complex adrenal and pituitary gland disorders. We also specialize in gender-affirming hormone therapies. See the conditions we treat.
- Innovation and research: We use the latest technology to pinpoint the cause of your symptoms. A fast, accurate diagnosis helps our team develop a customized treatment plan for you. Learn how we diagnose endocrine disorders.
- Comprehensive treatment: We offer many different treatments for endocrine disorders. And we partner with Cleveland Clinic in Florida specialists if you need surgery. Explore our endocrine disorder treatments.
- Skilled collaborative providers: Some endocrine disorders can lead to unplanned weight changes. Our registered dietitians help you make changes that keep your weight in a range that’s healthy for you. We offer one-on-one support and group classes. Learn about nutrition and weight loss management.
- Virtual visits: Depending on your healthcare needs, you may be able to meet with your provider online for some appointments. Virtual visits are a convenient and time-saving way to get the same great care without having to leave home. You can also use MyChart to communicate with your providers and review your health history.
Team approach
In order to give you the most comprehensive care, your team may include experts from several specialties, including:
- Heart and vascular medicine.
- Kidney medicine (nephrology).
- Neurology and neurosurgery.
- Orthopaedics.
Convenient care
We make it easier for you to get expert endocrinology care closer to where you live and work. Our healthcare providers offer endocrine disorders care at the following locations:
What We Treat
Endocrine disorders can affect different organs or glands in your endocrine system. Our endocrinologists treat and manage all types of endocrine disorders, including:
- Adrenal disorders.
- Parathyroid disorders.
- Pituitary gland disorders
- Thyroid disease.
- Other endocrine conditions.
Adrenal disorders
Adrenal disorders affect the adrenal glands on top of each of your kidneys. Adrenal gland hormones help regulate your body’s immune system, blood pressure, metabolism and how your body responds to stress.
Adrenal gland disorders we treat include:
- Addison’s disease.
- Adrenal adenomas (noncancerous growths).
- Adrenal cancer.
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia.
- Cushing syndrome.
- Hyperaldosteronism.
- Hyperandrogenism.
Parathyroid disorders
Parathyroid disorders affect the parathyroid glands in your neck that make parathyroid hormone. This hormone controls calcium and phosphate levels in your blood.
Parathyroid disorders we treat include:
- Hyperparathyroidism and hypercalcemia.
- Hypoparathyroidism and hypocalcemia.
- Parathyroid adenoma (noncancerous growths).
- Parathyroid cancer.
Pituitary gland disorders
Pituitary disorders affect your pituitary gland. This pea-sized gland at the base of your brain makes and sends hormones to other glands in your endocrine system. It’s known as the master endocrine gland because it controls your endocrine system.
Pituitary disorders we treat include:
- Acromegaly.
- Cushing syndrome.
- Hypopituitarism (underactive pituitary gland).
- Pituitary adenomas.
Thyroid disease
Thyroid disease affects the thyroid gland at the front of your neck. This butterfly-shaped gland makes thyroid hormone, which controls your metabolism (the process of changing food into energy to fuel body functions).
Thyroid diseases we treat include:
- Goiter.
- Graves’ disease.
- Hashimoto’s disease.
- Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid).
- Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).
- Thyroid cancer.
- Thyroiditis.
- Thyroid nodules.
Other endocrine conditions
We also treat:
- Gender dysphoria and gender incongruence (when your assigned sex at birth and gender identity differ).
- Polycystic ovary syndrome.
- Hyperandrogenism (when your body makes too many sex hormones).
Diagnosing Endocrine Disorders
Your provider will thoroughly review your medical history, give you a physical exam and go over your symptoms. Endocrine disorders can be challenging to diagnose because other conditions cause similar symptoms. At Cleveland Clinic in Florida, our endocrinologists use the latest tests to make an accurate diagnosis and personalize the most effective treatment plan.
Testing for endocrine disorders
Depending on your symptoms, you may have one or more of these tests:
- Biopsy: Your provider uses a thin needle to remove cells from an endocrine gland. A lab expert tests the cells for signs of cancer. We’ll also do a biopsy if you have surgery to remove a diseased gland.
- Blood tests: Different blood tests can measure levels of hormones, antibodies and electrolytes. You may need an oral or IV (in your vein) medication before a blood test to see how the drug affects your hormone levels.
- Calcium blood test: A calcium blood test for parathyroid disorders measures the amount of total calcium and ionized calcium in your blood and bones.
- Cortisol tests: Different cortisol tests measure cortisol levels in your body. These blood, urine and saliva tests help diagnose adrenal disorders.
- Imaging scans: Ultrasounds, MRIs and CT scans can identify abnormal endocrine gland growths and other changes.
- Nuclear imaging: Nuclear medicine imaging uses small, safe amounts of oral or injectable radioactive chemicals to identify gland issues. Positron emission tomography (PET) scans and radioactive iodine uptake tests help identify endocrine cancers.
- Thyroid tests: Tests for thyroid disease include blood tests and imaging scans.
- Urine test: A urinalysis checks for high levels of hormones and minerals in your urine.
Treatment
Treatments for endocrine disorders depend on the condition and symptoms you have. Our endocrinologists personalize a treatment plan based on your specific diagnosis and needs. We provide long-term management and care for chronic (ongoing) endocrine disorders. At Cleveland Clinic in Florida, you benefit from our team’s expertise in providing the latest therapies.
We offer comprehensive treatments for all types of endocrine disorders. Your provider may recommend:
- Active surveillance.
- Medication management.
- Hormone therapies.
- Radioiodine therapy.
- Surgery.
- Radiation therapy.
Active surveillance
Noncancerous endocrine gland tumors that don’t cause severe symptoms may not need treatment right away. These benign tumors are also known as adenomas. Your provider will keep a close eye on your health and start treatment if symptoms worsen.
Active surveillance involves more frequent diagnostic tests, such as:
- Blood tests to check your hormone levels.
- Imaging scans to see if the tumor is getting bigger.
- Physical examinations to check on your symptoms.
Medication management
Medications can ease symptoms and sometimes cure certain endocrine disorders. Our team provides long-term medication management for lifelong endocrine disorders.
Depending on the endocrine disorder, medications can:
- Block a hormone’s effect on your body.
- Lower hormone levels.
- Replace missing hormones.
- Treat certain noncancerous (benign) growths.
Hormone therapies
If you have an underactive endocrine gland or have had surgery to remove a diseased gland, you may need daily hormone replacement therapy. These lab-made hormones replace the hormones your body no longer makes.
We also specialize in gender-affirming hormone therapy.
Radioactive iodine therapy
With radioactive iodine (radioiodine) therapy, you take one or two doses of an oral medication that contains a safe amount of radioactive iodine. This therapy can treat some cases of overactive thyroid glands (hyperthyroidism) and thyroid cancer. Many people need hormone replacement after this treatment.
Surgery
If you have endocrine cancer or your endocrine gland makes too much hormone, you may need surgery. After surgery, you’ll take daily hormone replacement therapy to make up for missing hormones.
Endocrine gland surgeries we offer include:
- Adrenal gland removal: Our highly skilled urologists do adrenalectomies to remove one or both adrenal glands.
- Parathyroid surgery: Our experienced head and neck surgeons do parathyroidectomies to remove one or more of the four parathyroid glands.
- Pituitary gland removal: Our expert neurosurgeons do adenomectomies to remove the pituitary gland.
- Thyroid surgery: Our skillful head and neck surgeons do thyroidectomies to remove all or part of the thyroid gland.
Radiation therapy
You may need radiation therapy to manage an endocrine disorder. The type of radiation therapy depends on the affected gland and how severe the disorder is. Our team of radiation oncologists uses intensity-modulated radiation therapy and other innovative technologies to treat endocrine tumors.
Appointments & Locations
Request an appointment
Make an appointment at a Cleveland Clinic location in Florida or schedule a virtual visit. We also offer virtual second opinions.
