| Popis: |
The adrenal gland is divided up into two primary layers (cortex and medulla) with the cortex, the site of production of aldosterone, cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone, and the medulla, the site of catecholamine production. Adrenal pathology typically manifests as disorders of hyper- and/or hypofunction; most likely secondary to neoplastic changes (adenoma), hyperplastic conditions or responses to nonadrenal stimuli. No biochemical evaluation should be performed until the patient’s clinical presentation is evaluated to determine the best course of testing, as many adrenal disorders require a multistep process for diagnosis, for example, confirm the abnormality followed by some form of localization test to determine where lays its etiology. In addition, adrenal function testing often requires some form of inhibition or stimulation step to determine if hypo-/hyperfunction is actually occurring. |
