POMC and Prader-Willi syndrome: It has been suggested that sudden death in patients with PWS might partly be explained by central adrenal insufficiency (CAI): an inadequate (increase in) cortisol production by the adrenal glands due to the insufficient secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) or corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) by the pituitary gland or hypothalamus, respectively.