Adrenal Insufficiency: Primary and Secondary

Posted on November 20, 2016 by MaryO

By Dr Tomislav Meštrović, MD, PhD

Adrenal insufficiency is a condition that develops when most of the adrenal gland is not functioning normally. Primary adrenal insufficiency arises due to the damage of the glands or because of using drugs that halt synthesis of cortisol. On the other hand, secondary adrenal insufficiency stems from processes that inhibit the secretion of the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) by the hypophysis as a result of a hypothalamic or pituitary pathology. The former is sometimes also referred to as tertiary adrenal insufficiency.

Adrenal insufficiency is still a significant challenge for both patients and their physicians, but also scientists and researchers. In the past decade, long-term studies with adequate follow-up have shown a surge in mortality and morbidity, as well as impaired quality of life in individuals with this condition.

Primary Adrenal Insufficiency

In developed countries, the most common cause of primary adrenal insufficiency is autoimmune adrenalitis, whereas in the developing world tuberculosis is still considered a primary causative factor. Moreover, in young males, an X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (also known as the less severe form of adrenomyeloneuropathy) must also be considered.

Histopathologically, in autoimmune primary adrenal insufficiency, there is a diffuse mononuclear cell infiltrate that can gradually progress to atrophy. Primary adrenal insufficiency is linked to both cortisol and mineralocorticoid deficiency.

Recent research drew attention to drug-related and infectious causes of adrenal insufficiency. Antifungal agents are known to substantially reduce cortisol synthesis, while imunosuppression associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has resulted in a resurgence of infectious causes, most notably tuberculous and CMV adrenalitis.

Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency

Secondary adrenal insufficiency has three principal causes: adrenal suppression after exogenous glucocorticoid or ACTH administration, abnormalities of the hypothalamus or pituitary gland that lead to ACTH deficiency, as well as adrenal suppression upon the correction of endogenous glucocorticoid hypersecretion.

Any lesion of the hypophysis or hypothalamus can result in secondary adrenal insufficiency; some of the examples are space-occupying lesions such as adenomas, craniopharyngiomas, sarcoidosis, fungal infections, trauma, and also metastases from distant malignant processes.

The histologic appearance of the adrenal glands in secondary adrenal insufficiency can range from normal to complete atrophy of the cortex (with preserved medulla). In contrast to primary adrenal insufficiency, secondary types are associated with the lack of cortisol, but not mineralocorticoid deficiency.

Clinical Features of Adrenal Insufficiency

The clinical presentation of adrenal insufficiency is related to the rate of onset and severity of adrenal deficiency. In a large number of cases, the disease has a gradual onset, thus the diagnosis can be made only when the affected individual presents with an acute crisis due to an inadequate rise in cortisol secretion during a physiologic stress. Such acute adrenal insufficiency (also known as the Addisonian crisis) is a medical emergency.

On the other hand, the course of chronic adrenal insufficiency is more subtle and insidious, with the predomination of symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, weight loss, diarrhea or constipation, muscle cramps, pain in joints and postural hypotension (low blood pressure). Salt craving and low-grade fever may also be present.

The classic physical finding that can help in differentiating primary from secondary adrenal failure is hyperpigmentation of the skin or the “suntan that does not fade”. Furthermore, patients with secondary adrenal insufficiency may present with additional symptoms related to pituitary disease (e.g., menstrual disturbances, loss of libido, galactorrhea, or hypothyroidism).

Laboratory Findings and Management

In cases of adrenal insufficiency, the complete blood count usually reveals anemia, neutropenia, eosinophilia, and relative lymphocytosis. Common chemical abnormalities include metabolic acidosis and prerenal azotemia, while hyponatremia, hypoglycemia, and hyperkalemia may also be present.

A cosyntropin stimulation test (also known as ACTH or Synacthen test) is required to establish the diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the hypophysis in secondary adrenal insufficiency and computed tomography (CT) of the adrenal glands in primary adrenal insufficiency can aid in establishing a diagnosis. The adrenal glands appear normal in cases of autoimmune disorder.

Glucocorticoid replacement in patients with adrenal insufficiency can be lifesaving. Nevertheless, renal crisis is still a threat to patients’ lives, which is why awareness and adequate preventative measures receive increasing attention in the recent years.

Reviewed by Susha Cheriyedath, MSc

From http://www.news-medical.net/health/Adrenal-Insufficiency-Primary-and-Secondary.aspx

Filed under: adrenal, adrenal crisis | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Hypopituitarism – Deficiency in Pituitary Hormone Production

Posted on June 30, 2016 by MaryO

By Yolanda Smith, BPharm

Hypopituitarism is a health condition in which there is a reduction in the production of hormones by the pituitary gland.

The pituitary gland is located at the base of the brain and is responsible for the production of several hormones, including:

  • Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which controls the production of the vital stress hormones cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in the adrenal gland
  • Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), which controls the production of hormones by the thyroid gland
  • Luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which control the secretion of the primary sex hormones and affect fertility
  • Growth hormone (GH), which regulates the growth processes in childhood and other metabolic processes throughout life
  • Prolactin (PRL), which facilitates the production of breast milk
  • Oxytocin, which is crucial during labor, childbirth and lactation
  • Antidiuretic hormone (ADH), also known as vasopressin, which regulates the retention of water and the blood pressure

An individual with hypopituitarism shows a deficiency in one or more of these hormones. This inevitably leads to abnormal body function, as an effect of the low levels of the hormone in the body, and may result in symptoms.

Causes

Hypopituitarism is most commonly due to the destruction, compression or inflammation of pituitary tissue by a brain tumor in that region. Other causes include:

  • Head injury
  • Infections such as tuberculosis
  • Ischemic or infarct injury
  • Radiation injury
  • Congenital and genetic causes
  • Infiltrative diseases such as sarcoidosis

Symptoms

General symptoms that are associated with pituitary hormone deficiency include:

  • Weakness and fatigue
  • Decreased appetite
  • Weight loss
  • Sensitivity to cold
  • Swollen facial features or body

There are also likely to be more specific symptoms according to the type of pituitary hormone deficiency, such as:

  • ACTH deficiency:
    • abdominal pain
    • low blood pressure
    • low serum sodium levels
    • skin pallor
  • TSH deficiency:
    • generalized body puffiness
    • sensitivity to cold
    • constipation
    • impaired memory and concentration
    • dry skin
    • anemia
  • LH and FSH deficiency:
    • reduction in libido
    • erectile dysfunction in men
    • abnormal menstrual periods
    • vaginal dryness in women
    • difficulty in conceiving
    • infertility.
  • GH deficiency:
    • slow growth
    • short height
    • an increase in body fat

Treatment

The first step in the treatment of hypopituitarism is to identify the cause of the condition.

Secondly, the hormones that are deficient must be identified. From this point, the appropriate treatment decisions can be made to promote optimal patient outcomes.

Hormone replacement therapy is the most common type of treatment for a patient with hypopituitarism.

This may involve supplementation of one or more hormones that are deficient, to reduce or correct the impact of the deficiency.

Follow Up

As hormone replacement therapy is expected to continue on a lifelong basis, it is important that patients have a good understanding of the therapy.

It is especially important to educate patients on what to do in case of particular circumstances that may change their hormone requirements.

For example, during periods of high stress, the demand for many hormones is increased, and the dose of hormone replacement may need to be adjusted accordingly.

It is recommended that patients have regular blood tests to monitor their hormone levels and ensure that they are in the normal range.

Patients should also carry medical identification, such as a medical bracelet or necklace, to show that they are affected by hypopituitarism and inform others about their hormone replacement needs and current treatment. This can help to meet their medical needs in case of any emergency.

Epidemiology

Hypopituitarism is a rare disorder that affects less than 200,000 individuals in the United States, with an incidence of 4.2 cases per 100,000 people per year.

The incidence is expected to be higher in certain subsets of the population, such as those that have suffered from a brain injury. Statistics in reference to these population groups have not yet been determined.

Reviewed by Dr Liji Thomas, MD.

References

From http://www.news-medical.net/health/Hypopituitarism-Deficiency-in-Pituitary-Hormone-Production.aspx

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Surgery Preferred Option in Cushing’s Disease for Best Survival

Posted on June 21, 2016 by MaryO

Patients with Cushing’s disease who have been in remission for more than 10 years still have an increased mortality risk compared with the general population, says an international team of researchers, who found the risk of early death was particularly increased in those with Cushing’s and accompanying circulatory disease.

Richard N Clayton, MD, department of medicine, Keele University, Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom, showed that Cushing’s disease, which is characterized by increased secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone by the anterior pituitary gland, is associated with an increased mortality risk of more than 60% and a median survival of around 40 years.

In patients who also had circulatory disease, the mortality risk was even higher, say Dr Clayton and colleagues.

However, patients who had undergone curative pituitary surgery had a long-term risk of death no different from that of the general population. US Endocrine Society guidelines published last August recommend that optimal treatment of Cushing’s syndrome involves direct surgical removal of the causal tumor.

But Dr Clayton and colleagues point out that even patients who undergo pituitary surgery will nevertheless “require lifelong follow-up at a center experienced in dealing with this condition, having regular checks for diabetes, hypertension, and other cardiovascular risk factors.”

The study was published online June 2 in Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

In an accompanying editorial, Rosario Pivonello, MD, PhD, department of clinical medicine and surgery, section of endocrinology, University of Naples Federico II, Italy, and colleagues write that, although surgery is not suitable for all patients, “Prompt pituitary surgery might be the preferred treatment for Cushing’s disease to guarantee the best mortality outcome.”

Calling for further research to better understand why one treatment “has a better effect on mortality than another,” they state: “The results from this study might also motivate rapid interventions, cure, and long-term follow-up in patients with Cushing’s disease — even for a long time after hypercortisolism resolution.”

Studying Those Who Have Survived More Than 10 Years

Dr Clayton and colleagues explain that previous studies have explored mortality in patients with Cushing’s disease during either active disease or remission. But the outcome of patients in remission, especially long-term remission, is still a matter of debate, and assessing long-term survival has been limited by various methodological differences. To overcome some of these issues, they performed a retrospective analysis of case records from specialist referral centers in the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

They identified 320 patients diagnosed with Cushing’s disease and cured for a minimum of 10 years at enrollment and had no relapses during the study period. The ratio of women to men was 3:1.

Median patient follow-up was 11.8 years, yielding a total of 3790 person-years of follow-up 10 years after cure. There was no difference in follow-up between countries. And as there were no significant demographic and clinical differences between men and women, the data were pooled.

During the study 16% of patients died. Median survival was 31 years for women and 28 years for men, at approximately 40 years following remission. The overall standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for all-cause mortality compared with the general population was 1.61 (P = .0001).

Patients with Cushing’s and circulatory disease had an SMR vs the general population of 2.72 (P < .0001), but deaths from cancer among those who had survived Cushing’s disease were not higher than the general population, at an SMR of 0.79 (P = .41).

Patients with Cushing’s and diabetes also had an increased mortality risk, at a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.82 (P < .0096) compared with the general population, while hypertension was not significantly associated with increased mortality, at an HR of 1.59 (P = .08).

There was also an association between mortality and number of treatments, at an HR of 1.77 for two vs one treatment (P = .08) and an HR of 2.6 for three vs one treatment (P = .02).

Pituitary Surgery Alone Associated With No Increased Risk of Death

Pituitary surgery performed as the first and only treatment was associated with an SMR vs the general population of 0.94 compared with an SMR of 2.58 for other patients (P < .0005).

Patients who had pituitary surgery only had a median survival of 31 years compared with 24 years if surgery had been required at any time (P = 0.03).

The research team states: “For patients who have been cured of Cushing’s disease for 10 years or more, treatment complexity and an increased number of treatments, reflecting disease that is more difficult to control, appears to negatively affect survival.”

“Pituitary surgery alone achieves a mortality outcome that is not different from the normal population and should be performed in a center of excellence,” they conclude.

However, in the editorial, Dr Pivonello and colleagues point out that the surgical approach “is not a treatment option for some patients, either because of contraindications (eg, severe clinical complications) or because of an absence of clear indication for surgery (eg, tumor is not completely removable by surgery).”

The authors and editorialist have reported no relevant financial relationships.

Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. Published online June 2, 2016. Abstract, Editorial

From http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/865073#vp_2

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Bilateral adrenal myelolipoma in Cushing’s disease: a relook into the role of corticotropin in adrenal tumourigenesis

Posted on June 16, 2016 by MaryO

BMJ Case Reports 2016; doi:10.1136/bcr-2016-214965

Partha Pratim Chakraborty, Rana Bhattacharjee, Pradip Mukhopadhyay, Subhankar Chowdhury

  1. Correspondence to Dr Partha Pratim Chakraborty, docparthapc@yahoo.co.in
  • Accepted 2 June 2016
  • Published 15 June 2016

Summary

Adrenal myelolipomas are infrequently encountered benign tumours of unknown aetiology.

In the majority of cases they are unilateral, and clinically and hormonally silent, only requiring periodic follow-up. However, bilateral adrenal myelolipomas are sometimes associated with endocrine disorders and warrant appropriate evaluation.

Though the understanding of the pathophysiology of adrenal myelolipomas has long been elusive, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) has been proposed as the main tropic factor in a number of studies. Cushing’s disease is rarely associated with bilateral and sometimes giant myelolipomas.

In this article, the association of bilateral adrenal myelolipomas with Cushing’s disease has been discussed and the role of ACTH in the tumourigenesis has been reviewed.

From http://casereports.bmj.com/content/2016/bcr-2016-214965.short?rss=1#content-block

Filed under: adrenal, Cushing's, Rare Diseases | Tagged: , , , | Leave a comment »

Resolution of the physical features of Cushing’s syndrome in a patient with a cortisol secreting adrenocortical adenoma after unilateral adrenalectomy

Posted on May 1, 2016 by MaryO

A 37-year-old woman developed clinical manifestations of Cushing’s syndrome over a span of 2 years. Physical examination revealed features that best describe Cushing’s syndrome, such as wide purple striae (>1 cm) over the abdomen, facial plethora and easy bruisability.1  Other features observed were hypertension, moon facies, acne, a dorsocervical fat pad, central obesity and dyslipidaemia.

The diagnosis of hypercortisolism was confirmed using a 1 mg overnight dexamethasone suppression test (19.7 ng/dL, N: <1.8) and 24 h urine free cortisol (185.9 μg/24 h, N: 3.5–45). A suppressed adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) level (4 pg/mL, N: 5–20) and a lack of hyperpigmentation suggested ACTH-independent Cushing’s syndrome. Further work up using CT with contrast of the adrenals showed a 2.4×2.3×2.4 cm right adrenal mass. The patient then underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy of the right adrenal gland. Steroids was started postoperatively and tapered over time. Histopathology results were consistent with an adrenocortical adenoma (2.5 cm widest dimension). Six months after surgery, there was resolution of the physical features, weight loss and improvement in blood pressure.

Figure 1 is a serial photograph of the physical features seen in Cushing’s syndrome, such as moon facies, a dorsocervical fat pad and wide purple striae, taken preoperatively, and at 3 and 6 months after surgery. With treatment, physical and biochemical changes of Cushing’s syndrome both resolve through time.2 The time course of the resolution of these changes, however, is varied.2 ,3 We observed that the physical features were ameliorated at 3 months and resolved at 6 months.

Learning points

  • Physicians as well as patients should be aware that improvement of the features of Cushing’s syndrome after treatment does not occur immediately.

  • Dramatic resolution of the physical features of Cushing’s syndrome, however, can be observed as early as 6 months after surgery.

Figure 1

View larger version:

Figure 1

Physical features of Cushing’s syndrome (top to bottom: moon facies, a dorsocervical fat pad and wide purple striae (>1 cm) over the abdomen) documented before surgery, and at 3 and 6 months after surgery.

Footnotes

  • Twitter Follow John Paul Quisumbing at @jpquisumbingmd

  • Contributors JPMQ worked up the case and wrote the case report. MASS reviewed the case report and critically appraised it. JPMQ incorporated his suggestions.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Patient consent Obtained.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

References

  1. ↵
    1. Ross EJ,
    2. Linch DC

    . Cushing’s syndrome-killing disease: discriminatory value of signs and symptoms aiding early diagnosis.Lancet 1982;2:646–9. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(82)92749-0

    [CrossRef][Medline][Web of Science]
  2. ↵
    1. Sippel RS,
    2. Elaraj DM,
    3. Kebebew E, et al

    . Waiting for change: symptom resolution after adrenalectomy for Cushing’s syndrome. Surgery2008;144:1054–61. doi:10.1016/j.surg.2008.08.024

    [CrossRef][Medline][Web of Science]
  3. ↵
    1. Mishra AK,
    2. Agarwal A,
    3. Gupta S, et al

    . Outcome of adrenalectomy for Cushing’s syndrome: experience from a tertiary care center. World J Surg2007;31:1425–32. doi:10.1007/s00268-007-9067-6

    [CrossRef][Medline]

From http://casereports.bmj.com/content/2016/bcr-2016-215693.short?rss=1

Filed under: adrenal, Cushing's, symptoms, Treatments | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

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