Medical Health Care Advices

What is an adrenal adenomas?

The adrenal glands (two) are located in the upper pole of each kidney. Adrenal adenomas are benign (noncancerous) tumors of the adrenal gland. They originate in the outermost layer of the same, called “adrenal cortex.” The adrenal cortex produces a hormone normally belonging to the family of steroids.

When an adenoma produces these hormones, called “functional” and, although this term can be misleading (as a synonym for “in good condition”), actually produces excessive amounts of these hormones, leading to a consequent alteration in the body by the excess.

In many cases, adrenal adenomas are an incidental finding, ie, meet by chance on the scanner when it is done for other reasons. However, all adrenal masses (lumps) need careful evaluation to determine its nature, especially the hormonal evaluation (whether they are functioning). If an adrenal adenoma that produces hormones in quantities exceeding the appropriate untreated can have serious consequences.

What is the cause of adrenal adenomas?

The cause of adrenal adenomas is not well known. The most accepted theory at present is that they are due to a mutation (change) in certain genes (yet unidentified). More common in some genetic diseases such as multiple endocrine neoplasia type I syndrome or Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, and Carney complex. It also happens that patients with a defect in the production of these steroid hormones (eg congenital adrenal hyperplasia), especially in cases where this condition is not adequately controlled, may have a higher risk of presenting these adenomas . Despite what is stated in the preceding paragraph, the majority of adrenal adenomas is not related to inherited diseases.

The probability of developing an adenoma increases with age. Benign adrenal adenomas are finding in 1-32% of autopsies, although most studies show a detection rate of 5%. About 6% of subjects older than 60 can accommodate an adrenal adenoma.

Have not been discovered so far other predisposing factors and possible prevention is also unknown.

credit to: Dr. Alfonso José Santiago Marí, Dr. Shern Chew

Possibility Related Posts:

• Adrenal Adenomas: Treatment and Prognosis
  Treatment The treatment of functioning adrenal adenoma is surgical removal of it (lumpectomy) or the gland (adrenalectomy). In some hospitals, surgical removal is performed laparoscopically (throug...
• Adrenal Adenomas: Adrenal Mass
  What other disease can be treated? Much more rarely, an adrenal mass is a metastasis of a cancer which originates elsewhere in the body (most commonly lung or intestine). Generally, the origin of...
• Adrenal Adenomas: Symptoms and Diagnosis
  What are the symptoms? Most patients have no symptoms caused by the adenoma, but when carrying out the tests accurate, even in these patients can be demonstrated in some excess production of some s...