Definition – What is adrenal hyperactivity?
Although the adrenal glands are very small organs, they play an important role in many body functions. On the one hand, they are the destination of numerous hormones, and on the other hand they produce a large number of hormones. The adrenal glands consist of a cortex and the medulla.
The adrenal cortex produces mineral corticoids (e.g. aldosterone, which is important for the body’s water balance), glucocorticoids (e.g. cortisone) and androgens (e.g. testosterone).
The adrenal medulla produces adrenaline and noradrenaline. Overproduction of these hormones causes various characteristic changes in the various bodily functions. How many hormones are affected by overproduction varies and depends on the cause. Due to the numerous effects, adrenal hyperactivity is a serious disease. In order to understand the following clinical pictures, it is important to understand the function and the produced hormones of the adrenal glands.
Causes of adrenal hyperactivity
One possible cause is adrenal hyperplasia. This is an enlargement of the adrenal tissue. This is usually associated with hyperactivity of the affected tissue.
Adrenal hyperplasia can be congenital due to various gene mutations. An example of a congenital disease associated with adrenal hyperfunction is adrenogenital syndrome. Benign and malignant tumors are a common cause of altered adrenal function.
Since the adrenal glands are under the strong influence of the pituitary gland, an overfunction of the pituitary can also lead to an overfunction of the adrenal glands. Hyperfunction of the pituitary gland is usually caused by tumors. In addition, some drugs can also lead to adrenal hyperactivity.
As already mentioned, hyperfunction can also be caused by a pituitary tumor. This is a serious disease. Use the following article to make sure that no tumor is responsible for your adrenal hyperfunction: These symptoms indicate a pituitary tumorStress leads directly to a release of cortisol and adrenaline.
After the stress situation, the cortisol and adrenaline levels drop and normalize. However, in cases of permanent stress, these levels remain high and settle at an unhealthy high level. The adrenal glands produce more cortisol.
In the long run, the increased cortisol level leads to various health risks. The permanent release of cortisol and adrenaline triggers different mechanisms in the body. Learn more about the effects these have on the organism in the following articles:
- Effect of cortisone
- What effect does adrenaline have on the body?
