[Adrenal gland disorders]

Adrenal diseases are generally rare but of variable manifestation and high diagnostic expenditure for definitive conformation of the disease in the individual case; therefore, the definitive diagnosis is often made by the specialist. On the other hand the supposed diagnosis, based on the knowledge of clinical symptoms, is frequently made by the nonspecialist who also initiates the first diagnostic steps in order to confirm or exclude the diagnosis. It is the aim of this survey to discuss not only the clinical symptoms of the most important adrenal diseases, but also the essential diagnostic steps in order to at least narrow down the diagnosis with as little expenditure as possible and to avoid a diagnostic maze.