Alternative Names & Classifications:
Secondary Corticoadrenal Insufficiency (CLINICAL)
Description
Unlike Addison's disease where the adrenal glands themselves are destroyed, secondary adrenal insufficiency is caused by a problem in the pituitary gland or hypothalamus. The most common cause is the sudden cessation of long-term prescription corticosteroid therapy, which severely suppresses the pituitary's ability to secrete adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). Without ACTH stimulation, the adrenal glands shrink and stop producing cortisol, though aldosterone production usually remains intact.