====== Cushing's disease ======

//Cushing's disease//, (a.k.a //Cushing's syndrome //and //hypercortisolism //) is a rare, life-threatening, hormonal imbalance disorder.

>Cushing's syndrome, also called //hypercortisolism//, is a rare endocrine disorder caused by chronic exposure of the body's tissues to excess levels of cortisol - a hormone naturally produced by the adrenal gland. Exposure to too much cortisol can occur from long-term use of synthetic glucocorticoid hormones to treat inflammatory illnesses. Pituitary adenomas (benign tumors of the pituitary gland) that secrete increased amounts of ACTH (//adrenocorticotropic hormone,// a substance that controls the release of cortisol) can also spur overproduction of cortisol."\\ \\ Source :  [[http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cushings/cushings.htm|US NINDS (archived)]]

It was first described in 1910 ([[https://thejns.org/configurable/content/journals$002fj-neurosurg$002f97$002f1$002farticle-p231.xml?t:ac=journals%24002fj-neurosurg%24002f97%24002f1%24002farticle-p231.xml|ref.]])  and has been widely researched.

The malfunction can be associated with :

  * A pituitary tumor, which causes the pituitary gland (at the base of the brain) to stimulate the adrenal glands to secrete high levels of cortisol.
  * A tumor of the adrenal gland (located above the kidney).
  * A benign or malignant tumor of the lung or some other organ.
  * Prolonged use of cortisone drugs, such as Prednisone, commonly prescribed for asthma, rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.

Source : [[https://csrf.net/|Cushing's Support and Research Foundation]]

But exact biological mechanisms, i.e. why the tumores form, and how the triggers operate, remain unknown.

Possible links with genetic factors are also being investigated :

>Cushing disease (CD) is a life-threatening disorder attributed to excess pituitary tumor-derived adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and adrenal steroid secretion caused by pituitary tumors. Whereas CD was first described in 1932<sup> [ //sic .//? ] </sup>the underlying genetic basis driving tumor growth and ACTH secretion remains unsolved."\\ \\ Source : [[https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1306182110|PNAS Biological Sciences, 110 (21) 8555-8560]] {{:oa_padlock_grn.png?16}}

Further detailed information : [[https://csrf.net/|Cushing's Support and Research Foundation]]