Adrenal gland
Adrenal gland: A small gland located on top of the kidney. The adrenal glands produce hormones that help control heart rate, blood pressure, the way the body uses food, the levels of minerals such as sodium and potassium in the blood, and other functions particularly involved in stress reactions.
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- Adrenal medulla
Adrenal medulla: The inner portion of adrenal gland. (The outer portion is the adrenal cortex). The adrenal medulla makes epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline). Epinephrine is secreted in response to low blood levels of glucose as well as exercise and stress; it causes the breakdown of the storage product glycogen to the sugar glucose in […]
- Adrenaline
Adrenaline: A stress hormone produced within the adrenal gland that quickens the heart beat, strengthens the force of the heart’s contraction, and opens up the bronchioles in the lungs, among other effects. The secretion of adrenaline is part of the human ‘fight or flight’ response to fear, panic, or perceived threat. Also known as epinephrine.
- Adrenoleukodystrophy
Adrenoleukodystrophy: A rare genetic (inherited) disorder characterized by the breakdown or loss of the myelin sheath surrounding nerve cells in the brain and progressive dysfunction of the adrenal gland. Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) is one of a group of genetic disorders called the leukodystrophies that cause damage to the myelin sheath of the nerve fibers in the […]
- Adult ADHD
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as found in the adult population. ADHD is a well-known childhood disorder that is characterized by varying degrees of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and/or inattention that lead to difficulty in academic, emotional, and social functioning. Children who are diagnosed with ADHD may continue to exhibit symptoms that persist into adulthood. In the […]
- Adult primary liver cancer
A tumor in which the cancer starts during adulthood in cells in the liver. Also called hepatocellular carcinoma or hepatoma. Primary liver cancer is different from cancer that has metastasized (spread) from another place in the body to the liver. The signs and symptoms may include a hard lump just below the rib cage on […]