Total Cortisone

Under stress situations the adrenal glands normally respond by increasing cortisone output.

While a high cortisone is a normal and healthy response to an acute stressor, high cortisone caused by a persistent stressor can lead to multiple dysfunctions and disease. Elevated cortisone is usually caused by different types of stressors (emotional, physical-(e.g. excessive exercise, injury, surgery), chemical-(e.g. environmental pollutants, medications), inflammations-(e.g. cancer, metabolic syndrome), pathogens-(e.g. bacterial, fungal, viral infections).

Typical acute symptoms/signs of high cortisone can include anxiety, nervous-irritability, self-perceived stress, sleep disturbances. More chronic elevated cortisone is commonly associated with the same symptoms seen with acutely high cortisone but also include memory problems, depression, loss of muscle mass, and weight gain in the waist. Insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome are also a consequence and cause of elevated cortisone, as are the diseases of aging such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and bone loss. When cortisone remains high these symptoms/conditions/syndromes/diseases progressively become more problematic over time.

The inactive or “storage form” of adrenal glucocorticoid. Can be reversibly transformed to cortisol. Clinically, cortisone may reflect a measure of adrenal reserve when compared to cortisol. Ideally, cortisone will be about 30% higher than cortisol when both are at optimal levels. Values at the high end or low end of the reference range are generally not optimal.