Write a note on Addison’s disease and Cushing’s syndrome.

Hint: Hormones are important biological compounds that are produced by endocrine glands. They are involved in mediating specific responses in their target organs leading to their proper functioning. Proper levels of them should be maintained because their imbalance can lead to different health conditions. Addison’s disease and Cushing’s syndrome both are caused due to improper levels of the hormone cortisol.

Complete Answer:
- Cortisol is a steroid hormone that is produced in humans by the adrenal glands and serves many important functions.
- It is released under stressful conditions and helps to increase the blood sugar levels, suppress the immune system and also increase metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates.
- Addison’s disease is a condition where the adrenal glands fail to produce sufficient amounts of cortisol. This disease can be caused due to either underdevelopment of adrenal glands or insufficient cortisol production even in the presence of proper glands or diseases that cause adrenal gland damage.
- Few of the symptoms include darkening of skin, abdominal pain and weight loss. Treatment involves providing corticosteroid from the outside. Now Cushing’s syndrome is caused by excessive cortisol production.
- Few of the symptoms associated with Cushing’s syndrome are high blood pressure, round red face, fragile skin and weak muscles. Treatment is generally carried out by administering drugs that inhibit cortisol synthesis.

Note: Thus we can see the importance of maintenance of the proper level of hormones with respect to cortisol. Both increase and decrease in it’s level leads to several diseased conditions that are in many cases quite harmful for the body.