A morphometric and histological study of the effect of stress on the adrenal gland

Introduction:Anatomically and structurally, stress play an important role in affecting adrenal gland. And the changes are observed exclusively in the patients who have undergone agonal stress (long term stress). In the cases like suicide, road traffic accidents (RTA), burns, sudden death, poison, and post traumatic-stress disorders, the changes are seen exclusively. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted in the department of forensic medicine & anatomy of KMC Manipal on 25 adrenal glands of persons who died unexpectedly either from the road traffic accident or suicide and had corroborative evidence for stress within 12-24 hours of death. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the morphology & morphometric changes in adrenal gland due to effect of stress by histological examinations. Results and Conclusions: Therefore, we conclude that in the mentally depressed patients, in the victims of suicide, and in burns injuries who undergo septicaemia shock the chronic stress leads to adrenal hyperplasia and hypertrophy of the gland which remarkably increases the weight of the gland and significantly increases the cortical length.