How to Determine Adrenal Function

The function of the adrenal glands is to produce cortisol, a hormone that is essential for life. Cortisol keeps your immune system in check, helps your body respond to both physical and emotional stress, and regulates your blood sugar. A condition called adrenal insufficiency, adrenal failure or Addison's disease can result from illness or injury, and means that your body does not produce enough cortisol. Blood tests and imaging technologies can determine if your adrenal function is normal.

Things You'll Need

• Blood tests
• Imaging tests

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Instructions

• 1

  Discuss your medical history with your doctor if you are experiencing symptoms such as nausea, irritability, darkening of the skin, diarrhea, unexplained weight loss and low blood pressure that do not respond to lifestyle changes or medical treatment. These can all be signs of a form of adrenal insufficiency called Addison's disease, according to the Mayo Clinic.

• 2

  Undergo blood tests that measure mineral levels, as well as the amount of cortisol hormone in your body. Blood potassium levels that are higher than 5.2 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/l) could indicate a compromised adrenal function, according to the National Institutes of Health. Sodium levels lower than 135 mEq/l, and cortisol that measures less than 6 micrograms per liter, can also point to adrenal insufficiency.

• 3

  Ask your doctor to perform an ACTH test. This diagnostic tool involves introducing a synthetic form of a hormone called ACTH into your blood. ACTH prompts your body to make cortisol; if your body does not produce more cortisol after an ACTH injection, you most likely have decreased adrenal function.

• 4

  Test your body's response to insulin to determine adrenal function. An insulin-induced hypoglycemia test monitors how your body reacts after you are given an injection of insulin. People who have normal adrenal function will see their cortisol levels rise and their blood sugar levels drop after the test. Those who have abnormal adrenal function will not fit into this pattern.

• 5

  Look at the adrenal glands through an MRI or a CT scan. An abnormality in the shape or size of the adrenal glands may indicate compromised function and can help diagnose the source of the problem.