Many of these hormones are also made elsewhere in the body, but aldosterone, cortisone, and hydrocortisone are made only in the adrenal glands. The hormone aldosterone, in concert with the kidneys, regulates the balance of sodium and potassium in the body. This regulation is critical to many areas of physiological function, including the ability to react to stress and to maintain fluid balance. It even contributes to maintenance of blood pressure. Supplemental Steroids and Adrenal Disease Cortisone and hydrocortisone regulate the body's glucose.
Most readers are familiar with the administration of corticosteroids to suppress the immune system.
Corticosteroids became available in the late 1940s and were heralded as a miraculous treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. It did not take long to find out that there was a serious price to pay for chronic corticosteroid use. Patients developed symptoms, and physical findings such as the development of Cushing's syndrome. Additionally, women may have less frequent menses or lose them altogether. Men may become impotent.