Adrenal Nodule

Small adrenal nodules are nearly always benign and symptomless, but some can cause a problematic excess in the production of certain hormones and a small number may turn out to be malignant. The most commonly diagnosed type of adrenal nodule is the benign adrenal incidentaloma, which is a nonfunctioning tumor that typically does not need medical attention. Three other kinds of adrenal nodules are pheochromocytomas, adrenal nodule carcinomas and functioning adrenal adenomas. Functioning adenomas are those that do cause excess hormones to be produced, which can result in such symptoms as unexpected weight gain (or loss), sweating, fatigue, sexual dysfunction, facial and body shape changes, diabetes, high blood pressure and more. All but about five percent of adrenal nodules will be determined to not require medical treatment, but those that continue to grow and/or produce too many hormones can be treated with medications or surgical removal.