Cortisol is a glucocorticoid steroid secreted by the adrenal gland. It plays a key role in glucose metabolism and stress response. ACTH – or adrenocorticotropic hormone is synthesized by the pituitary gland in response to the hypothalamic corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH). In normal patients, a negative feedback loop in the form of cortisol levels in the blood will inhibit production of CRH and ACTH (this is called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal [HPA] axis).
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