If a person with an adrenal tumor experiences chronically elevated cortisol levels, which consequence follows regarding ACTH secretion?

💡 Explanation

Elevated cortisol triggers negative feedback inhibition on the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, therefore decreasing ACTH secretion by the pituitary because the hypothalamus detects the increased cortisol. This shuts down the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, rather than increasing ACTH secretion, which would exacerbate the hypercortisolism.

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