adrenaline
and Eva Rudolf-Müller, doctorDr. med. Andrea Reiter is a freelance writer for the medical editorial team.
More about the expertsEva Rudolf-Müller is a freelance writer in the medical team. She studied human medicine and newspaper sciences and has repeatedly worked in both areas - as a doctor in the clinic, as a reviewer, and as a medical journalist for various specialist journals. She is currently working in online journalism, where a wide range of medicine is offered to everyone.
More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.Adrenaline (epinephrine) is a hormone that is formed in the adrenal glands and is increasingly released into the blood under stress. It mobilizes the body's energy reserves and increases motivation. The heart beats faster, the blood pressure rises. However, some tumors can produce too much adrenaline and cause dangerous high blood pressure. Read more about adrenaline!
What is adrenaline
Adrenaline is an important hormone that is formed in the adrenal glands and is increasingly released during stress. In threatening situations, adrenaline can ensure survival by setting the body to "fight" or "flight". The adrenaline effect redistributes all of the blood in the body: more blood flows into the musculoskeletal system and into the lungs and less into the digestive organs. The latter inhibits the digestive processes.
Adrenaline ensures a faster heartbeat, higher blood pressure, dilated pupils and increased sweat production. Sugar is released from the liver so that it is more quickly available to the muscles. Overall, the adrenaline effect in the body is very diverse. However, all changes ensure that people are more productive for some time and can thus face a dangerous situation.
When is adrenaline in the blood determined?
Adrenaline increases blood pressure. If it is suspected that persistent high blood pressure is caused by too much adrenaline in the blood, the concentration of the hormone must be checked.
The adrenaline concentration can be determined in the blood plasma and via a breakdown product (vanillin-mandelic acid) in the 24-hour urine collection. The patient must lie still for 30 minutes before and during the blood draw. Just standing for a short time increases the adrenaline by 50 to 100 percent. The cannula should be inserted into the vein about 30 minutes before the actual blood sample is drawn. An increased adrenaline level, which was caused by the brief pain when the blood sample was taken, can drop again.
Adrenaline - blood counts
|
in the 24-hour urine |
in the blood plasma | |
|
Normal adrenaline levels |
≤ 20 µg / day |
<50 pg / ml |
When is the adrenaline level low?
Too low an adrenaline concentration is medically insignificant.
When is the adrenaline level increased?
Too much adrenaline in the blood is found especially in an adrenaline-producing tumor (pheochromocytoma). Other factors that can lead to high adrenaline levels include:
- stress
- Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia)
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- certain drugs (such as L-dopa, tetracyclines, theophylline, and MAOIs)
- alcohol
- coffee
Increased adrenaline in the blood: what to do?
If the adrenaline level is elevated, the doctor will conduct further tests to clarify the cause. Most often, the concentration of adrenaline is determined several times, since the blood level is subject to strong fluctuations. As soon as the cause is known, appropriate countermeasures can be initiated. For example, if the increased adrenaline level is caused by a pheochromocytoma, surgery is needed to remove the tumor.
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