The adrenal glands, located just above each kidney, produce hormones that affect physical characteristics, growth and development, as well as regulate the body's response to stress. The adrenal glands receive instructions from the pituitary gland,...
Proper functioning of the human body requires potassium. Potassium plays an important role in blood pressure regulation and water balance in the body. However, too much or too little of this substance can cause health problems. Aldosterone on the...
The adrenal glands, two glands located above each kidney, produce hormones that affect the storage and use of energy, blood volume, blood pressure, sex organs and stress responses. Tumors in the adrenal glands occur when the cells in either the...
The adrenal glands are small glands that sit atop each kidney and are located in the rear of the abdomen on either side of the spine. MedlinePlus, an online medical encyclopedia, reports that these glands produce hormones that regulate essential...
Pheochromocytoma is a tumor on the adrenal gland. The adrenal gland is located on either side of your body, just above the kidneys. The adrenal gland secretes hormones that give instructions to almost every part of your body. Adrenaline is...
Adrenal glands are located above each kidney and "oversee" hormone production. Some medical conditions, such as Cushing's disease or the occurrence of malignant tumors on the adrenal glands, may interfere with hormone production and the normal...
Diseases associated with a high cortisol level, or hypercortisolism, typically come to the attention of patients and their doctors because of the distinctive signs and symptoms associated with excess cortisol. Patients with hypercortisolism...
The adrenal glands, located on top of the kidneys, work with the hypothalamus and pituitary glands to produce the hormones cortisol and aldosterone. According to the National Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Information Services, cortisol affects...
Sodium and potassium are important electrolytes involved in many of the body's functions. Sodium is important for fluid balance, while potassium is important for muscle contraction and the heart's rhythm. Several conditions can cause both high...
The adrenal glands are small, endocrine organs located just above each kidney. They are partially controlled by the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland in the brain. These organs produce several hormones and play a critical role in the body's...
The adrenal glands are endocrine, or hormone releasing, and are located on top of the kidneys. They release hormones that are essential to life such as the stress hormone cortisol, which is a corticosteroid, and catecholamines such as adrenaline....
Hormones play important roles in the body: They help to regulate metabolism, stimulate growth and development and maintain physical characteristics. When hormones are unbalanced, negative health conditions can occur, resulting in symptoms that...
The adrenal glands sit on top of both kidneys and produce a number of hormones including cortisol, aldosterone and epinephrine. Tumors that develop on the adrenal glands may be either cancerous or benign, but even non-cancerous tumors can pose...
The adrenal glands, also known as the suprarenal glands, are small hormone-producing organs located on top of each kidney. The adrenal glands produce several hormones, including adrenalin, cortisol and aldosterone. Adrenal gland enlargement is...
Excessive hair growth, called hirsutism, can cause enormous embarrassment to young girls. Hirsutism is most often caused by an excess of male hormones, called androgens. Hair often grows in more typical male hair growth patterns in hirsutism, with...
Cocaine is a highly addictive and abused drug. It is ingested by snorting, smoking or injecting it directly into the bloodstream. Once the cocaine reaches the brain, dopamine is released and creates a pleasurable feeling. Through years of...
All of our bodies produce hormones. Hormone production and release is part of the endocrine system. Some of this production is performed by the adrenal glands, two small glands located just above your kidneys that make hormones to regulate blood...
Aldosteronism is a medical condition characterized by an abnormally elevated level of the adrenal gland hormone aldosterone. The hormone stimulates kidney retention of sodium and water, commonly leading to high blood pressure, or hypertension....
The adrenal glands are located on top of the kidneys and are responsible for the production and secretion of a number of hormones that are important for the body. In some cases, small masses (tumors) can grow on the adrenal glands. Depending on...
Hormones are chemicals that regulate several activities in the body. They are made in and released into the bloodstream by endocrine glands. The major endocrine glands include the thyroid, pituitary and adrenal. The adrenal glands secrete several...
Numerous conditions or factors can cause hypokalemia, or a potassium deficiency. According to the World's Healthiest Foods website, potassium helps a person's muscles and nerves function properly, maintains the proper electrolyte and acid-base...
The adrenal glands are a set of paired organs located on top of the kidneys. Their function, however, is unrelated to that of the kidneys. Rather than providing filtration and excretion like the kidneys do, the adrenal glands are hormone...
The adrenal glands are endocrine glands located above each kidney. The glands are responsible for producing the hormones aldosterone and cortisol, which have many important functions in the body. Adrenal insufficiency is a condition that occurs...
Cushing's disease is a form of Cushing's syndrome, a condition characterized by sustained high cortisol levels. Cushing's disease is caused by a brain tumor called a pituitary adenoma, a hormone-producing tumor that promotes high cortisol levels....
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the adrenal glands are part of the body's hormone secretion system and there is one situated at the top of each of the kidneys. The central core of the adrenal gland is called the medulla,...
The adrenal glands release two important hormones, cortisol and aldosterone, responsible for maintaining blood pressure, alertness and a sense of well-being, fluid balance and metabolism. In an article published in the March 2010 "American Nurse...
Adrenal gland cancer is rare. Adrenal tumor growths are usually noncancerous adenomas, which do not cause any symptoms and rarely require treatment. There are three types of cancerous adrenal gland tumors including adrenocortical carcinoma,...
There are several causes of a magnesium deficiency. The hormonal cause for the electrolyte imbalance, hyperaldosteronism, involves your adrenal glands. Low magnesium, or hypomagnesemia, becomes dangerous without intervention. Therefore, if you...
Cancer can affect the kidneys, the two bean-shaped organs in the body that help get rid of waste products and filter blood. There are several types of standard treatment for kidney cancer, and the course of treatment usually depends on the stage...