Cortisol

• Cortisol is secreted in a diurnal rhythm. The highest level is found early in the morning, the lowest around midnight.
• The test material is blood.
• The patient does not need to be fasting.About 30 minutes before the test, it is advisable to drink a glass of water or bitter(unsweetened) tea.

You should report for a blood draw between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m., or as directed by the referring physician.
If the test is performed after taking dexamethasone ( overnight dexamethasone inhibition test), you should
during registration, order the test " cortisol after dexamethasone loading ".

A steroid hormone produced in the adrenal cortex that affects the metabolism of carbohydrates (increases gluconeogenesis and glycogenesis), fats (increases lipolysis) and proteins (enhances their catabolism) and (weaker than aldosterone) water and electrolyte metabolism (enhances sodium reabsorption in the renal tubules and promotes renal excretion of potassium). It has anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects, enhances gastric juice secretion, causes calcium release from bones, causes the release of granulocyte myeloid reserve, and inhibits the function of the lymphocytic system. Cortisol accounts for 75-90% of the total corticoids circulating in the blood. The production and secretion of corticosteroids in the adrenal cortex is under the control of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) produced in the pituitary gland and the ACTH-releasing factor corticoliberin CRF produced by the hypothalamus. This regulation is based on the principle of negative feedback. Adrenal steroids circulate in the blood in the form of connections with proteins mainly transcortin and albumin. Conversion of steroid hormones to biologically inactive metabolites takes place in the liver.

It is also used as a drug in the treatment of some chronic diseases (e.g. bronchial asthma) and interventional, short-term or one-time treatment of life-threatening conditions (e.g. shock, asthmatic condition).

Importance of the test: diagnosis of adrenal gland dysfunction, search for hormone-producing tumors, control in adrenal steroid therapy.

Abnormal values: in Cusching syndrome,
in Addison's disease. Abnormal secretion causes adrenal hyper- or hypothyroidism.

Note: under physiological conditions, the hormone secreted in a diurnal rhythm with an increase in concentration in the morning and a decrease in the evening.It is a classic stress hormone.

A single result is for illustrative purposes and cannot constitute a diagnosis of disease. Always consult your doctor.

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