Relative adrenal insufficiency (RAI) was demonstrated in patients with cirrhosis and liver failure. A relationship appears to exist between the severity of the liver disease and the presence of RAI. Neither the mechanism nor the exact prevalence of RAI is fully understood. There is though a hypothesis that low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels in this group of patients may be responsible for the insufficiency of cortisol. Several questions also arise about the way and the kind of cortisol (total cortisol, free cortisol, or even salivary cortisol) that should be measured. The presence of RAI in patients with cirrhosis is unquestionable, but still several studies should come up in order to properly define it and fully understand it.
Keywords: adrenal insufficiency; cirrhosis; hepatoadrenal syndrome; liver failure.