Cushing's syndrome
Alternative names:
hypercortisolism
Definition:
A group of conditions caused by increased production of cortisol hormones or by the administration of glucocorticoid hormones (cortisone-like hormones).
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
Cushing's syndrome results from excess cortisol (glucocorticoid) hormone over a long period of time. The most common cause of Cushing's syndrome is excessive production of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) by the pituitary gland. ACTH stimulates the growth of the adrenal glands and the secretion of other corticosteroids.
Cushing's disease can be caused by a tumor of the pituitary gland, a tumor of the adrenal gland, a tumor somewhere other than the pituitary or adrenal glands (ectopic Cushing's syndrome), or by long-term use of corticosteroids (drugs commonly used to treat conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and asthma).
Risk factors are adrenal tumor or pituitary tumor, chronic therapy with corticosteroids, and being female. The incidence of all types of Cushing's syndrome is 2 out of 10,000 people.
See also:
|
