The adrenal glands, located above each kidney, produce hormones that regulate metabolism, blood pressure, stress response, and electrolyte balance. The hormones responsible for this include cortisol, aldosterone and catecholamines.

A number of adrenal disorders can occur, adrenal adenomas, which may be non-functional or functional and secrete excess hormones.

Functional adenomas can lead to conditions including:

• Cushing’s syndrome (excess cortisol)

• Conn’s syndrome (excess aldosterone)

• Phaeochromocytoma (excess catecholamines)

Specific blood tests and imaging are required to assess and investigate these adenomas to ensure they are not producing excess hormones or increasing in size.

Other adrenal disorders include adrenal insufficiency from causes such as Addison’s disease (autoimmune) or from long-term steroid use which can stop the bodies own production of cortisol.