Receptor dysfunction and hormone resistance in human diseases--a review.

Studies of the hormone-receptor interaction have introduced a new chapter in endocrine and metabolic disorders. Receptor (R) dysfunction in human diseases, due either to an alteration in the number or affinity of the R, or to antibodies against the R, is reviewed and classified in the first part of this paper. Disorders where hormone resistance has been implicated, but where R studies are still unavailable are also presented.