Magdalena Kegel,  —

Measuring blood serum cortisol levels several times a day after pituitary tumor surgery for Cushing’s disease can help doctors predict whether the operation eliminated the disorder, a study reports. The hormone measurements are also valuable for determining if a patient needs a second surgery, which improves the chance that the…

Children with endogenous Cushing’s syndrome may have an abnormal white blood cell count, which relates to the severity of their disease and puts them at risk for infections. Their pattern of abnormalities are similar to that seen in adults with the disease, say researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver…

Blood immune cells may contribute to metabolic and cardiovascular disease in patients with Cushing’s syndrome, suggest researchers at IDIBAPS in Barcelona, Spain. The research team showed that Cushing’s syndrome patients have increased numbers of certain immune cells in their blood, even though their increased cortisol levels are considered immunosuppressive. Moreover,…

Inhaled steroids can cause Cushing’s syndrome if they are combined with medications that block liver enzymes, researchers at Spain’s Hospital Son Llátzer warn in a new study. While very low levels of inhaled steroids normally reach the blood, medications blocking these liver enzymes can boost their concentration and lead to Cushing’s…

Late-night measures of cortisol levels in saliva may not be all that helpful in diagnosing Cushing’s syndrome, a group of physicians discovered upon learning that a difficult to diagnose patient had manipulated the samples. Although this behavior is extremely rare, the research team from the University of Calgary in…

Primary care physicians need to be aware of the typical signs of Cushing’s disease so they can initiate early screening, advocates a group of researchers from the University of Ghana. Their article, “Screening for Cushing Syndrome at the Primary Care Level: What Every General Practitioner Must Know,” was…

Aggressive adrenocortical carcinomas differ from tumors linked to Cushing’s syndrome in the density of blood and lymph vessels, according to a research team at Portugal’s University of Porto. Their study, “Angiogenesis and Lymphangiogenesis in the Adrenocortical Tumors,” appeared in the journal Pathology & Oncology Research. It offers insights into the…

Mutations in a gene called CABLES1 might contribute to pituitary tumor growth in people with Cushing’s disease, according to a study that suggests the gene normally acts as a pituitary tumor suppressor. The study, “Loss-of-function mutations in the…