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Adrenal Glands
Gray's Anatomy (1918) plate, public domain
The adrenal (suprarenal) glands cap the top of each kidney like a cocked hat. Each has two layers with different jobs: the outer cortex makes steroid hormones — cortisol (stress and metabolism), aldosterone (salt and blood pressure) and androgens — while the inner medulla makes adrenaline and noradrenaline for the fight-or-flight response. The cortex is essential for life; the medulla amplifies the sympathetic nervous system.
Key facts
- The right gland is pyramidal, the left crescent-shaped, each only about 5 cm long.
- The cortex has three zones named for their products: salt (aldosterone), sugar (cortisol) and sex steroids.
- Adrenaline from the medulla reaches the blood like a hormone, while noradrenaline also serves as a nerve transmitter.
- The glands receive a rich arterial supply from three sources but drain by a single vein each.
What can go wrong
Adrenal disorders include overproduction — cortisol excess (Cushing's syndrome), aldosterone excess (Conn's syndrome, a cause of hypertension) and adrenaline-secreting tumours (phaeochromocytoma, causing episodic palpitations and sweating) — and failure (Addison's disease), where cortisol deficiency causes fatigue, weight loss, low blood pressure and skin darkening and can be life-threatening in illness. Incidental adrenal lumps (incidentalomas) are common on scans and are assessed for hormone activity and growth.
Related conditions
Related procedures & tests
Related symptoms
Frequently asked questions
What does cortisol do?
It mobilises energy during stress, maintains blood pressure and blood sugar, dampens inflammation and follows a daily rhythm — highest in the early morning.
What is an adrenal incidentaloma?
An adrenal lump found by chance on a scan done for another reason. Most are benign and inactive, but clinicians check hormone production and size to decide on follow-up.
Educational information only. This atlas explains normal anatomy and describes conditions in general terms; it is not medical advice and does not replace assessment by a qualified clinician. If you have symptoms that worry you, seek medical care.
