Cortisol - Serum
Description
A cortisol test measures the level of cortisol in your blood, urine, or saliva to see if your levels are normal. Cortisol is a hormone that affects almost every organ and tissue in your body. It helps your body:
- Respond to stress (cortisol is sometimes called the "stress hormone")
- Reduce inflammation
- Regulate blood sugar and metabolism (how your body uses food for energy)
- Control blood pressure
Cortisol is made by your adrenal glands, two small glands that sit above the kidneys. A gland in your brain, called the pituitary gland, makes a hormone that tells your adrenal glands how much cortisol to make. If your cortisol levels are too high or too low, it may mean you have a disorder of your adrenal glands, a problem with your pituitary gland, or a tumor that makes cortisol.
High levels of cortisol may also happen if you take large doses of certain steroid medicines, such as prednisone, for a long time. And low levels may happen if you stop the medicine suddenly.
Without treatment, cortisol levels that are too high or too low can be very serious.
Other names: urinary cortisol, salivary cortisol, free cortisol, blood cortisol, plasma cortisol.
Source: National Institutes of Health (NIH) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.