Cushing Syndrome - Research Paper Example

Moreover, the key to the management of the disease in both humans and animals involves proper medication, the development of a healthy lifestyle, and a strict diet, although further research on these is necessary.

Cushing’s Syndrome is a hormonal disorder caused by an abnormal increase in the amount of the hormone cortisol in the blood, but since it may not only be cortisol that is in excess but also other related hormones, then Cushing’s Syndrome is conveniently defined as “prolonged and inappropriate high exposure of tissue to glucocorticoids” (Nieman et al., 2008). Glucocorticoids are steroid hormones that turn down the inflammation system as a sort of negative feedback mechanism, and so they are used in diseases where the immune system of the patient is overactive. If therefore, there is an overproduction of glucocorticoids, especially cortisol, in the blood, then the result is the overall turning down of the entire immune system, thus leading to numerous physiological disturbances that define Cushing’s syndrome (Nieman et al., 2008).

The causes of Cushing’s syndrome include Cushing’s disease itself, or the overproduction of the adrenocorticotropic hormone, or ACTH, by the pituitary gland; an adrenal gland tumor that usually occurs among women after 40; a tumor somewhere in the body which produces excessive cortisol or triggers its production, or tumors in the pancreas, thyroid or lungs that produce ACTH. Seventy percent of all cases of Cushing’s syndrome are caused by a single pituitary adenoma or tumor which is usually benign or noncancerous. Tumors like these secrete more ACTH than necessary. Moreover, there are also cases where Cushing’s syndrome is termed as familial in that the formation of tumors in the body is inherited and passed on to the next generation. The biochemical mechanism behind Cushing’s syndrome is rather simple: the overproduction of ACTH by the pituitary gland triggers the release of too much cortisol by the adrenal glands. Moreover, an excess of corticotrophin-releasing hormone, or CRH, from the hypothalamus may also trigger the pituitary gland to release too much ACTH (Nieman et al., 2008). Nevertheless, the most common mechanism behind Cushing’s syndrome is the stimulation of the adrenal glands by ACTH for these to produce cortisol. ACTH does this by enlarging the adrenals and causing the protein synthesis in it to increase and the most common danger is that when these ACTH levels are decreased through treatment and the rate of protein synthesis slows down, then the adrenal glands might atrophy (Blevins, 2002). Thus, the importance of detecting Cushing’s syndrome early cannot be emphasized too heavily.