A 15-year-old male patient with a PMH of steroid-dependent asthma was admitted with a chief complaint of "always feeling tired and weak". Upon taking history the patient’s mother revealed that from the age of 7 he has taken inhaled bronchodilators, and for the last 4 years has been prescribed with high doses of inhaled steroids. Further background also revealed that during the last 10 months, he required hospitalization twice for status asthmaticus, during which he was given IV and oral corticosteroid bursts. In addition, he has been taking daily oral steroids for the last 5 months.
Patient is also showing signs of significant weight gain of 15 kg in the last 3 months, an increased incidence of recent "colds", and the observation by his mother that he seems not to be growing as quickly as his siblings did at this age. What is the diagnosis in this case? Should patient be taken off from…
