Endogenous and Exogenous Glucocorticoids in Obesity and Stress-Related Diseases

Glucocorticoids, also known as stress hormones, are essential for survival and for physical and mental adaptation to changing situations. Too much glucocorticoids can however yield a variety of symptoms and comorbidities. In this thesis, we aimed to investigate the role of endogenous and exogenous glucocorticoids in various stress-related diseases with a special focus on obesity. We additionally evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of scalp hair glucocorticoids in the screening of Cushing’s syndrome as well as the clinical application in obesity and stress-related conditions.