The adrenal medullaâthe inner part of the glandâproduces nonessential (that is, you donât need them to live) hormones, such as adrenaline (which helps your body react to stress). When you think of the adrenal glands (also known as suprarenal glands), stress might come to mind.
Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex deficiency (PDCD) is a rare disorder of carbohydrate metabolism caused by a deficiency of one of the three enzymes in the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC). The age of onset and severity of disease depends on the activity level of the PDC enzymes.
In a normal metabolic cycle, carbohydrates are broken down into energy by certain enzymes called the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. Children with PDCD have fewer enzymes than those without the disorder, so they are less able to break down carbohydrates and sugars into energy.