Cortisol Case Study Case

Debbie was a forty-nine year old woman whose health had begun to get out of control and who had been suffering various symptoms. Her medical history included surgeries for ovarian cysts and for her gall bladder. She was a smoker and was going through one pack of cigarettes daily and she only used alcohol occasionally. Her medical records also showed she had suffered from severe depression at times and had to be hospitalized on two occasions for it. There was no family medical history available for this patient, it was unknown to her physician where to begin in finding out the cause of her health issues. He held concern for Debbie 's welfare and was determined to get to the root of her symptoms (Norman). At her first medical appointment,

When cortisol is produced in the body, the hypothalamus sends corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) to the pituitary gland. In response, the pituitary gland secretes adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which stimulates the adrenal glands and this prompts the release of cortisol into the blood. Cortisol is a 'Fight or flight ' hormone, it helps control inflammation, blood glucose, blood pressure and to distribute nutrients in the body. The daily release of cortisol is maintained when the body is functioning normally, less adrenocorticotropic hormone is released and cortisol remains at sufficient levels. An internal imbalance of cortisol occurs when the body produces more cortisol than it needs. There could be a problem with regulating switches in the hypothalamus or pituitary gland, which could affect cortisol production. Excessive cortisol is brought on by a tumor of the pituitary gland, which produce ACTH and causes the adrenal glands to produce too much cortisol. A high level of cortisol is indicative of Cushing 's syndrome. Cushing 's Syndrome can manifest from taking glucocorticoid medicines for extended periods of time. These medications are used for many disorders and illnesses and overuse may cause overexposure to cortisol, which are chemically the same as natural cortisol. This condition caused by taking these medications is called an external imbalance of

These tumors present symptoms of weight gain, hypertension, excess body fluids. These are many of the same symptoms as Cushing 's syndrome, but, pituitary tumors may also have visual impairments due to the tumor 's contact with the optic chiasm, cranial nerve IV, VI and III (Kirk, Hash, Katner, & Jones). An imbalance of cortisol levels is an internal imbalance as with ectopic tumors and adrenal tumors, which are not tumors of the pituitary, but, do produce ACTH. Benign and cancerous tumors can arise and produce ACTH syndrome. Lung tumors are one of the main causes of ectopic ACTH syndrome, however, they affect men more than women