Adrenal Pathology I Flashcards
What does the zona glomerulosa secrete?
Mineralcorticoids (Aldosterone)
What stimulates the secretion of mineralcorticoids from the zona glomerulosa?
Angiotensin II and increased extracellular K+ concentration
What is the function of the zona fasciculata?
To produce glucocorticoids such as cortisol
not required for survival
What is the effect of cortisol?
- Induces glucose production
- Supresses inflammation and immune responses
- Inhibits wound healing
What is the function of the zona reticularis?
- Produces adrenal sex hormones
- Only has a minor physiological difference
What is the medulla responsible for?
responsible for systemic secretion of the catecholamines
‘fight or flight’ response, increased heart rate, and blood pressure (hyperglycaemia)
adrenal medulla is not required for survival
what is adrenal agenesis
rare condition where the adrenals fail to develop, can be either bilateral or unilateral
occurs to accesory adrenal tissue
commonly perirenal or within the testicular sheath/ incidental
what is the blood circulation of the adrenal glands
- sinusoidal plexus through the cortex and medulla
- fragile and susceptible to death
- causes extertional deaths in racehorses
what is Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome
group of conditions where the adrenals fail to function effectively- occurs as a result of bleeding into the glands
What is WFS an expression of in septicaemic cows?
DIC (Haemorrhagic adrenal necrosis)
What is adrenalitis?
Inflammation of one or both of the adrenal glands
either infectious or autoimmune
What two things can cause adrenal toxicity?
- Mitotane- directly cytotoxic to adrenocortical cells
- Trilostane
In what animals is adrenocortical hyperplasia common in?
due to sustained physiological stress
Common in old dogs, cats and horses
What may adrenocortical hyperplasia represnt?
Hyperadrenocorticism
* sustained physiological stress
* sometimes idiopathic and incidental
What is an adrenal cortical adenoma?
- benign neoplasm
- common in older dogs
- well-defined encapsulated nodule that compresses or distorts the surrounding tissue
- may be functional or non-functional
What animals are affected by an adrenal cortical carcinoma?
- Older dogs and cattle
- large, poorly defined, may efface normal tissue
- vascular invasion and thrombosis
- may result in haemoabdomen
- metastatsize widely
- can be functional or non-functional
What three conditions are examples of hormonal excess?
- Hyperadrenocorticism -> excess cortisol
- Atypical hyperadrenocorticism
- Hyperaldosteronism
What condition is an example of hormonal deficiency?
Hypoadrenocorticism (addisons disease)
What are the four forms of hyperadrenocorticism?
- Pituitary-dependnent
- Adrenal-dependent
- Iatrogenic
- Ectopic ACTH secretion
What is pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism?
- Pituitary tumour secretes ACTH
- Unresponsive to cortisol feedback