Patho Paper3.docx - 1 What Happens in The Body: Cushing’s...

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What Happens in The Body: Cushing’s Disease?
Hannah Bugbee
Galen College of Nursing
BIO 1300 Human Anatomy & Physiology II
Dr. Zafir
March 6, 2022

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The Pathology Behind Cushing Disease
Cushing's Disease is a condition that involves increased levels of cortisol secretion by the
adrenal cortex—based on corticosteroids' external administration, leading to a hypercortisolism
condition known as Cushing's Disease (Tiruneh et al., 2017). The pituitary gland is found to
oversecrete Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), leading to hypercortisolism or, in other
words, Cushing's Disease. Which in humans occurs when glucocorticoids are high in the body.
Various factors could lead to increased glucocorticoid levels. One is when the internal cortisol is
overproduced in the adrenal cortex (Newell-Price et al., 2006). Another leading factor is the
increase of external pharmacological synthetic glucocorticoid administration. Neoplasms lead to
an overproduction of endogenous glucocorticoid, causing a direct secretion of proteins and
cortisol. Found in most cases, this usually leads to regulating the secretion of adrenocortical
cortisol. Most found of the people who are diagnosed with Cushing's Disease have been found to
have one thing in common. Corticosteroid medications are commonly used in treatment plans of
diseases and conditions such as asthma, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis (Tiruneh et
al., 2017). However, hypercortisolism is not a common condition, and its existence in the entire
world is slim to none. It combines every cause of the Disease. It sums up to thirteen cases for
every one million people, with an overall estimation of only two new cases of this condition per
year (Tiruneh et al., 2017).
Normality In Major Body Systems
The pituitary gland is the part that majorly leads to the condition. The pituitary gland is
found in the brain and is a major endocrine system gland known as the hypophysis. Which is
responsible for the secretion of hormones that help function the actions of other organs in the
endocrine system and various tissues around the body. The pituitary gland has the shape of a pea,
and it is located on the underside of the brain, where it suspends with the support of the pituitary

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stalk (Newell-Price et al., 2006). The pituitary is anatomically a two-in-one structure that
consists of the posterior pituitary and the anterior pituitary, with all the parts that function