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Cortisol Clearance Velocity

Meaning

Cortisol Clearance Velocity quantifies the rate at which the body metabolizes and eliminates the active stress hormone cortisol from the systemic circulation. This metric reflects the efficiency of hepatic and renal detoxification pathways responsible for inactivating cortisol into metabolites like cortisone and tetrahydrocortisol. A healthy velocity is essential for maintaining the integrity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis feedback loop. Clinical assessment of this velocity helps determine if cortisol imbalances are due to overproduction or impaired metabolic removal.