Answer
Treatment of a heart transplant patient with prednisone would result in the patient's CRH and ACTH levels being depressed below normal levels.
Prednisone, a synthetic glucocorticoid would act by a negative feed back mechanism to depress the production of corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) by the hypothalamus. The consequence of this decrease in CRH secretion would be a decline in adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) secretion by the corticotrophs of the anterior pituitary (AP).
Work Step by Step
Prednisone is a synthetic glucocorticoid that has the following effects: it depresses immune functions; it dampens inflammatory responses; it promotes resistance to stress.
Treatment of a heart transplant patient with prednisone would cause the levels of the patient's corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), and adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) to be abnormally low. Prednisone would act by a negative feedback mechanism to depress the production of CRH by the hypothalamus; this would decrease the output of ACTH by the anterior pituitary (AP). The ultimate effect would be a down regulation of the synthesis of natural glucocorticoids by the adrenal cortex.
