How Does One Get Cushings Disease?
Cushing’s syndrome is caused by too much cortisol being present in the body for an extended period of time. One of the most common causes of Cushing’s syndrome is use of glucocorticoids on a regular basis. Glucocorticoids (such as hydrocortisone or prednisone) are medications that are chemically very similar to cortisol. They are used because they also work as very potent anti-inflammatory medications because they suppress the body’s immune system. As a result, they can be used to treat patients with problems relating to the immune system (such as rheumatoid arthritis, asthma or auto-immune diseases) as well as people who have had organ transplants.
