Mayo Clinic Laboratories > Endocrinology > Adrenal disease

Adrenal disease

Unraveling complex disorders with precision testing

Mayo Clinic Laboratories offers an array of testing designed to detect and characterize adrenal disorders. From screening for adrenal insufficiency to identifying adrenal tumors and evaluating hormonal imbalances, our menu is tailored to provide clinicians with the insights needed to diagnose and treat patients with these complex conditions.

Hereditary movement disorders Test menu

Adrenal insufficiency Adrenal insufficiency
Adrenal cortical carcinoma and adrenal incidentaloma Adrenal cortical carcinoma and adrenal incidentaloma
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
Cushing syndrome Cushing syndrome

Adrenal insufficiency

Adrenal insufficiency occurs when the adrenal glands make too little cortisol and aldosterone. Our testing measures cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) to help guide diagnosis.

Initial testing

Follow-up testing

Advantages

  • Aids in identifying the cause of primary adrenal failure.
  • Provides superior accuracy to clarify uncertain initial testing results through the use of mass spectrometry.
  • Facilitates connection to Mayo Clinic endocrine experts for support interpreting a complex differential diagnosis.

Adrenal cortical carcinoma and adrenal incidentaloma

Adrenal tumors are found incidentally in about 5% of abdominal CT scans. Most of these tumors will turn out to be benign, but a small fraction will be adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC), a type of cancer with high mortality and frequent recurrence. We offer testing to distinguish between benign or cancerous tumors, the various types of tumors, and tumor activity.

Initial testing

Follow-up testing

Adrenal incidentaloma

Highlights

Adrenal Gland Tumors: Stefan Grebe, M.D., Ph.D., and Irina Bancos, M.D.

In this episode of “Answers From the Lab,” host Bobbi Pritt, M.D., chair of the Division of Clinical Microbiology at Mayo Clinic, is joined by Stefan Grebe, M.D., Ph.D., co-director of the Clinical Mass Spectrometry and Test Development Laboratory in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, and Irina Bancos, M.D., consultant in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism with a joint appointment in biochemistry and immunology. They discuss the diagnosis and management of adrenal gland tumors.

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Urinary Steroid Profile [Test in Focus]

Irina Bancos, M.D. gives an overview of this test available through Mayo Clinic Laboratories. She discusses when this testing should be ordered, how this testing compares to other testing approaches, and what clinical action can be taken due to the results of this testing.

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A Breakthrough in Distinguishing Benign Adrenal Tumors from Cancerous Ones

Understanding the difference between benign and malignant adrenal tumors has always been difficult, but the new Urinary Steroid Profile assay will assist with this medical challenge.

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Congenital adrenal hyperplasia

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) encompasses a group of genetic conditions that affect the adrenal glands and result in the inability to make certain hormones, including cortisol, aldosterone, and others. This condition manifests as classic CAH, which is usually found in testing at birth or early infancy, and nonclassic CAH, which may not be found until childhood or early adulthood. Our testing helps diagnose this condition to set patients of any age on the right treatment regimen and monitor treatment efficacy.

Second-tier newborn screening

Genetic testing

Initial testing

Follow-up testing

Treatment monitoring

Cushing syndrome

Cushing syndrome is a condition caused when the adrenal gland produces too much cortisol, and it can only be confirmed by laboratory testing. With symptoms similar to hypertension, obesity, and other common conditions, accurate diagnosis is critical to enable the correct treatment for patients.

Initial testing

Follow-up testing

Learn more New cortisol cutoffs improved ACTH accuracy

Highlights

Collaboration that changes lives: Elyn Simmons

Working together, Mayo Clinic laboratory medicine specialists and clinicians helped Elyn Simmons get her life back — and welcome two new lives to the world.

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