Causes and Risks

Glucocorticoids are hormones produced by small glands in the abdomen called adrenal glands. The most important glucocorticoid produced by the adrenal glands is cortisol.

The pituitary gland, a small gland at the base of the brain, regulates cortisol production by secreting a hormone called adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).Glucocorticoids affect many body functions and are essential for survival.

Cushing's syndrome is named after the surgeon Harvey Cushing. The syndrome is a group of clinical signs and symptoms caused by a chronic excess of glucocorticoids. Cushing's syndrome may be caused by ACTH-producing tumors of the pituitary gland (a condition called Cushing's disease), malignant tumors of other organs that produce ACTH, and cortisol-producing tumors of one or both of the adrenal glands.

Administration of synthetic glucocorticoids such as prednisone or dexamethasone for therapeutic purposes (for example, to treat asthma) may also cause Cushing's syndrome. Cushing's syndrome caused by prescription corticosteroids is called exogenous Cushing's syndrome. The incidence of exogenous Cushing's syndrome is about 4 out of 100,000 people.

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