Total Cortisone

High levels of cortisone in your body could indicate that your body is under a lot of stress, either due to physical exertion, illness, or even emotional stress. This hormone, produced by your adrenal glands, is your body's natural response to stress and plays a crucial role in managing your immune system, reducing inflammation, and helping your body process carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. It's often referred to as a "stress hormone" for this reason. However, high levels of cortisone could also be due to external factors, such as taking certain medications. For instance, synthetic cortisone is used in various medications due to its anti-inflammatory properties, and taking these could result in increased cortisone levels. Some specific conditions that could cause high cortisone levels include Cushing's syndrome, which is characterized by prolonged exposure to high levels of cortisone, and adrenal tumors, which can cause your adrenal glands to produce too much cortisone.

Symptoms of high levels of cortisone could include rapid weight gain, particularly around the abdomen and face, thinning skin that bruises easily, muscle weakness, mood swings, increased thirst and urination, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis.

Low levels of cortisone could mean that your body isn't responding to stress as effectively as it should. This hormone, made by small organs on top of your kidneys called adrenal glands, is crucial for helping your body handle stress, whether it's from being sick or from physical activity. It also plays a big role in controlling your immune system, reducing swelling, and helping your body use carbs, fats, and proteins. Sometimes, certain medications or health conditions can cause your body to produce less cortisone. This could potentially lead to issues with managing stress, inflammation, and metabolism.

Symptoms of low levels of cortisone could include fatigue, muscle weakness, loss of appetite, weight loss, abdominal pain, low blood pressure, and darkening of the skin.