Cortisol Deficiency

Cortisol is important to the healthy functioning of your body. It is known as the stress hormone because it is secreted when you experience stress. Cortisol deficiency can cause health problems, so it's important to have blood levels in the normal range. According to MedlinePlus, if your cortisol is low, you could have Addison's disease or hypopituitarism.

Function

• Cortisol works in many systems of the body, including the circulatory, immune and nervous systems. It has a function in the metabolism of fat, carbohydrates and protein.

Normal Cortisol Levels

• Normally, cortisol levels in the blood should be between 6 and 23 micrograms per deciliter, according to MedlinePlus. If a blood test reveals your levels to be below this range, your cortisol may be considered insufficient and your doctor may try other tests to determine the cause.

Addison's Disease

• Addison's disease is essentially a deficiency of cortisol. It occurs when there's damage to the adrenal glands--the organ responsible for producing cortisol. Infections, hemorrhages or tumors are possible causes of the disease.

Hypopituitarism

• With hypopituitarism, the hormone responsible for triggering the production of cortisol (adrenocorticotropin, or ACTH) is not produced as much as it should be, causing a cortisol deficiency. Hypopituitarism may result from brain tumors or head traumas.

Considerations

• According to MedlinePlus, your cortisol levels vary throughout the day. For example, if your stressed before you take a cortisol test, your levels may be higher than normal. Also, women taking birth control pills will have higher cortisol levels than normal.