How to Test for Adrenal Failure

Adrenal failure, or insufficiency, occurs when your adrenal glands do not produce enough of a hormone called cortisol. The adrenal glands sit above the kidneys; the cortisol produced controls many of your metabolic functions, including blood pressure, glucose management, the way your body processes nutrients and how your immune system responds to inflammation. Testing for adrenal failure is difficult in some cases, according to the National Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Information Services (NEMDIS), and involves taking your medical history and employing several diagnostic tests.

Things You'll Need

• Blood tests
• Urine tests
• Imaging tests

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Instructions

• 1

  Tell your doctor about symptoms such as extreme fatigue, unintentional weight loss, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea that are persistent. These signs can indicate adrenal insufficiency in some cases. Irritability, excessive sweating and craving salty foods may also be symptoms of adrenal disease. Women may experience irregular periods or a complete halt in menstruation, according to NEMDIS.

• 2

  Undergo an ACTH (Adrenocorticotropic) stimulation test to diagnose adrenal failure. You will give blood and urine samples and then receive an injection of ACTH, a hormone that tells the adrenal glands to make cortisol. Your blood and urine will be tested again, after the injection, to measure your cortisol levels after stimulation. If you have adrenal insufficiency, cortisol levels will not rise very much, if at all.

• 3

  Find the reason for your adrenal failure through a test called CRH (Corticotropin) stimulation. CRH is a hormone that tells your pituitary gland to make ACTH. If your ACTH test is deemed abnormal by your doctor, you may be given synthetic CRH and have your hormone levels checked every 30 minutes for up to two hours. Your ACTH and cortisol levels at these intervals will help your doctor determine why you are experiencing adrenal problems.

• 4

  Discuss other tests that you may require with your doctor. Imaging tests such as xrays or ultrasounds can give a better picture of what your adrenal glands look like; bleeding and the development of calcium deposits are not uncommon in cases of Addison's disease, a form of adrenal failure, as stated by NEMDIS.