Monday, November 10, 2014

Cushing's Syndrome

Cushing’s syndrome is an endocrine disorder that is caused
by the excessive production of cortisol that is synthesized
and released from the zona fasciculata cells of the adrenal
cortex. 
The syndrome is characterized by multiple symptoms such as rapid weight gain with an unusual distribution in the trunk, face and along the collar bone. 
Other symptoms include increased sweating, dilation's of the capillaries, atrophy of the skin, which bruises easily, and females can develop a male facial pattern of hair growth. 
There may also be psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety.

Treatment usually includes drugs such as octreotide, bromocriptine and cyproheptadine modulate the release of ACTH from the pituitary gland, thereby moderating the levels of cortisol in the body.
In some cases if adrenal adenoma is the cause of excess cortisol levels then removing the adenoma is the right treatment option.
After having the adenoma removed the body needs to have cortisol levels stabilized usually Mifepristone is prescribed to stabilize the cortisol levels.
Mifepristone is a cortisol receptor antagonist sometimes used in the treatment of elevated levels of cortisol due to ectopic adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH)-producing tumors. Mifepristone competitively binds glucocorticoid receptors and suppresses the peripheral features of hypercortisolism in Cushing's syndromes.

 Works Cited
Berridge, Michael J. "Signalling Defects and Disease." Cushing's Syndrome (2008): n. pag. Physiology.sdu.edu. Portland Press Limited, 2009. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
Lin D, Loughlin K. "National Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Information Service (NEMDIS)." Cushing's Syndrome Page. N.p., 6 Apr. 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.

Scarano, Adam. "What Drugs Lower High Cortisol Levels?" LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.

4 Comments:

At November 11, 2014 at 12:42 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

I would suggest talking more about the signal transduction pathway and how it is faulty. Is it faulty in the reception, transduction, or response part? Other than that your post was very informative.

 
At November 11, 2014 at 8:47 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Thank You for your comment Kaira it was useful

 
At November 11, 2014 at 8:58 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Over all your blog was informative and filled me in on a disorder that I honestly did not know anything about. I would suggest that a little more information could support your research about this disorder, but otherwise I would say it answered the prompt fully.

 
At November 12, 2014 at 7:05 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Your blog is great and mostly answers the prompt except I would put more information about the signaling pathway. Thanks for talking about a disorder I knew nothing about.

 

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