Patricia Inácio, PhD,  science writer—

A 5-year-old boy with an inflammatory skin condition developed Cushing’s syndrome following a year of his parents’ use of a topical corticosteroid cream to treat his psoriasis, according to a new case study. The researchers noted that this case “underlines the potential side effects of high-potency corticosteroids.” Although the…

A woman developed therapy-related Cushing’s syndrome after prolonged treatment with a glucocorticoid for osteoarthritis, which is marked by joint damage and degeneration, a case study reports. As a result, the woman developed adrenal insufficiency and was misdiagnosed with perimenopause. In adrenal insufficiency, the adrenal glands become unable to produce sufficient…

Researchers in Japan have reported what they say is the third case of Cushing’s disease in a woman pregnant with twins. The disease was mostly resolved with surgery after she gave birth. While there were signs suggestive of Cushing’s disease during her pregnancy, the woman was only formally diagnosed…

Doctors in England missed signs of Cushing’s syndrome in a 26-year-old woman with gestational diabetes and high blood pressure, a case researchers said highlights the need for heightened awareness and vigilance, particularly in pregnant women with those conditions. “The diagnosis of [Cushing’s syndrome] in pregnancy is not straightforward due to…

High blood-sugar levels and osteoporosis — a condition causing bones to weaken and be prone to fracture — are more common in men with ectopic Cushing’s syndrome than women, who are more likely to have high blood pressure, a Turkish study reports. “Apart from these, the lack of sex differences,…

Sleep quality markedly improves for people with endogenous Cushing’s syndrome after treatment leads to disease remission, but nearly half of these patients continue to experience sleep disturbances. Those are the findings of a single-center study in the U.S. that also demonstrated that the proportion of Cushing’s patients taking medications for…

Women with Cushing’s syndrome may be misdiagnosed with fibromyalgia — a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain and mental distress — despite showing Cushing’s symptoms, a new case series report demonstrates. The researchers say these misdiagnoses of fibromyalgia, occurring in a trio of Cushing’s syndrome patients across three…

Severe hypokalemia, or extremely low blood potassium levels, may be the first manifestation of Cushing’s disease, as illustrated in a recent case report. The study described the case of a 48-year-old man with Cushing’s disease who had surgery to remove a pituitary macroadenoma, or a large pituitary tumor, but…

A technique called trabecular bone score, or TBS, may be better at assessing bone damage and loss than bone mineral density, the current gold standard, in successfully treated patients with Cushing’s disease, according to a recent study. High cortisol levels characterize Cushing’s, and they are known to increase the…

Among people with Cushing’s syndrome who enter into remission, women appear to be more likely than men to develop certain new conditions, including autoimmune disorders, within one year. That’s according to the findings of a systematic literature review done by researchers who reported on the case of a 42-year-old man…