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Function
The main role of adrenal steroids is to regulate electrolyte and water levels in the kidneys. Each steroid has a different effect on these levels. These effects also depend on the functionality of the adrenal glands.

In people that suffer from adrenal insufficiency, desoxycorticosterone acts to decrease the sodium concentration in urine while at the same time increasing the potassium concentration. By doing this, sodium is reabsorbed and sodium levels increase in the serum while potassium levels decrease. Cortisone is another steroid that allows the glomeruli to filter the blood more efficiently. This steroid also increases the urine volume as a result of its ability to decrease the retention of water within the kidney. In people with healthy or hyperfunctioning adrenal glands, desoxycorticosterone plays a completely different role. This steroid now increases the sodium concentration within the urine, resulting in the loss of electrolytes. On the other hand, the role of cortisone stays relatively constant.

Complications
A deficiency or excess amount of adrenal steroid can be a sign for various health problems and treatments can lead to significant complications.

21-hydroxylase deficiency is a type of congenital adrenal hyperplasia in which there is an overproduction of adrenal steroid, specifically adrenal androgens. This excess can cause salt to be released unnecessarily, resulting in salt deficiency. This can be treated with mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids which help to reduce the overproduction of adrenal androgens. However, the problem is that these glucocorticoids reduce the creation of bone and induce the resorption of bone. They signal the osteoblasts and osteocytes to undergo apoptosis, or regulated cell death.

The presence of adrenal steroids also acts as an indicator for potential diseases. A study was conducted observing the relationship between the level of adrenal steroid hormones with obesity among young boys aged between six and fourteen years. The study concluded that elevated levels of two adrenal androgens (DHEA and androstenedione) were found in obese boys compared to boys of a normal weight during the prepubescent stage of life. In addition, future study should be conducted concerning the low levels of androgens found in overweight boys during the postpubescent stage of life. There is a potential relationship between obesity and the levels of androgens found in the serum.