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Adrenal Axis Burden

Meaning

The Adrenal Axis Burden is the physiological state reflecting chronic, excessive demand placed upon the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, the body’s central stress response system. This sustained activation, often due to prolonged physical or psychological stressors, challenges the adrenal glands’ capacity to maintain hormonal homeostasis. It is a clinical concept used to describe the cumulative energetic cost of allostatic load on the neuroendocrine system. Persistent HPA axis dysregulation can manifest as a spectrum of clinical presentations rather than a single pathology.