A patient under treatment with corticosteroids may develop which condition?

A patient under treatment with corticosteroids may develop adrenal suppression due to the way corticosteroids affect the body’s hormonal balance. Corticosteroids mimic the action of hormones produced by the adrenal glands, which are crucial for regulating various physiological processes. When corticosteroids are administered over a prolonged period, they can suppress the natural production of hormones by the adrenal glands, leading to a condition known as adrenal suppression. This occurs because the body may reduce its own hormone production in response to the external source of cortisol provided by the corticosteroid treatment.

The other options, while they could be related to corticosteroid treatment, do not directly represent a primary condition linked with their use. Hypertension and weight gain can occur, but they are not as definitive a result of corticosteroid use as adrenal suppression. Additionally, increased bone density is not a condition associated with corticosteroids; in fact, long-term use of these medications is more often linked to decreased bone density and heightened risk of osteoporosis. Thus, adrenal suppression is the most accurate condition that could develop in a patient undergoing corticosteroid treatment.