The adrenal gland makes a part of the endocrine system. All the glands produce hormones vital for normal functioning of the body. What functions does the adrenal gland perform? It produces cortisol, a hormone which performs important functions. Cortisol manages the work of the cardiovascular system and is effective for relieving stress. Cortisol is responsible for metabolizing fats, carbohydrates and proteins into energy. There are several factors which provoke extra work of the adrenal glands and overproduction of cortisol. This disorder is known as Cushing's syndrome or overactive adrenal gland.

Symptoms

People with overactive adrenal gland generally gain weight in the midsection and experience adrenal fatigue and weakness in muscles. Common sign of overactive adrenal gland is a round face development, which is often called moon face. Facial flushing, fatty pad and a hump structure between the shoulders may appear. The skin around breasts, arms and abdomen may bear purple or pink stretch marks; the skin can get fragile therefore, bruising very easily. The healing is slow and there may be frequent outbreaks of acne.

Overactive adrenal gland activity can cause the affected people become irritable, anxious and depressive. Women may experience irregular or missed menstrual cycles and men might have erectile dysfunction. Headache, hypertension, low sex drive, diabetes, and bone loss are the main symptoms of the disorder.

Treatment

The treatment requires normalizing the levels of cortisol. For example, long usage of corticosteroid drugs can cause overactive adrenal gland. Lowering the dose over some time is often recommended by the doctors. The condition may be provoked by an adrenal gland tumor. The treatment is a surgical removal. After the operation the patient should take cortisol replacement medicines.

There are cases when a surgery is not enough to get rid of tumor which triggers health complications. In this case, doctors use radiation therapy in combination with operation. Actually, the radiation is suitable for people who are not mentally or physically ready to undergo a surgery.

At times, when the treatment options mentioned above do not produce positive results, the patient is put on a medication therapy. This is aimed at helps improving and relieving the manifestations of overactive adrenal gland. If all the options fail, the last method, that the doctor will recommend is total removal of the adrenal gland.

Cushing's syndrome or overactive adrenal gland takes little time to become a fatal condition, if not treated timely and with the proper medical procedure. Mostly the symptoms of overactive adrenal gland improve after treatment and the sufferer can get back to the normal life.