Posted: July 25th, 2017

A 36-year-old woman dies from an acute adrenal crisis following a surgical procedure. A pituitary tumor was diagnosed 3 weeks ago. At autopsy, the adrenal glands are small, and the cortex is composed primarily of cells from the zona glomerulosa. Which of the following best explains the decreased size of the cortex?

A 36-year-old woman dies from an acute adrenal
crisis following a surgical procedure. A pituitary
tumor was diagnosed 3 weeks ago. At autopsy,
the adrenal glands are small, and the cortex is
composed primarily of cells from the zona
glomerulosa. Which of the following best
explains the decreased size of the cortex?
(A) Autoimmune destruction
(B) Decreased ACTH concentration
(C) Decreased cortisol concentration
(D) Denervation
(E) Granulomatous disease