What is “Secondary” Addisons?
Adrenal glands are normal, but the pituitary does not signal a need for cortisol. “Secondary adrenal insufficiency is due to a decrease in the production of the pituitary hormone ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone). ACTH is a pituitary messenger — it tells the adrenal cortex to produce cortisol. If there is insufficient ACTH — due to pituitary damage, a pituitary tumor, or some other cause — then cortisol production is not stimulated. Secondary adrenal insufficiency can also arise when corticosteroid therapy (such as prednisone…) is abruptly halted. These treatments suppress natural cortisol production and it can take several weeks or months for normal production to resume.
