What it is
The adrenal glands sit on top of each kidney. They make hormones that help control blood pressure, salt balance, blood sugar, the body's response to stress, and some sex hormones.
Adrenal conditions include:
- Adrenal insufficiency (including Addison's disease): too little cortisol, which can become life-threatening without treatment
- Cushing's syndrome: too much cortisol
- Primary aldosteronism: too much aldosterone, a common and treatable cause of high blood pressure
- Phaeochromocytoma: a rare tumour that releases adrenaline-like hormones
- Adrenal incidentaloma: an adrenal lump found by chance on a scan done for another reason
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia: an inherited condition that affects adrenal hormone production
Common symptoms
- Severe tiredness, weakness, weight loss, low blood pressure or salt craving (too little cortisol)
- Weight gain in the face and belly, easy bruising and purple stretch marks (too much cortisol)
- High blood pressure that's hard to control, sometimes with low potassium
- Episodes of pounding headache, sweating and palpitations
- Darkening of the skin, especially in creases and old scars
When to see a specialist
- A scan has found a lump on an adrenal gland
- Your blood pressure is high at a young age, needs several medicines, or comes with low potassium
- You have symptoms that suggest too much or too little cortisol
- You have taken steroid medicines long-term and have been advised to reduce or stop them
- You have been diagnosed with an adrenal condition and need ongoing care
Treatment and management
- Specialised hormone tests, often timed carefully or done after medicines that suppress or stimulate the glands
- Adrenal scans (CT or MRI) when needed
- Hormone replacement for adrenal insufficiency, with clear sick-day rules
- Medicines to control excess hormones, or referral for surgery for suitable tumours
- Long-term follow-up
Anyone taking steroid replacement should never stop it suddenly, and should get urgent care if they become very unwell.
How an endocrinologist helps
Adrenal tests are easy to misread without the right preparation. Dr. Marium Zaman plans the correct tests, interprets them together with scans, and explains treatment and safety advice clearly, including what to do during illness.
