Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

A 49-year-old woman developed exogenous, or therapy-related, Cushing’s syndrome, after being treated with the antiviral Epclusa, which is approved to treat hepatitis C virus infections, a case study reported. “To our knowledge, this is the first time that [Epclusa] has been linked to [exogenous Cushing’s],” the researchers wrote. The study,…

In rare cases, proximal muscle weakness may be the only indication of Cushing’s disease, a recent case report showed. The patient, a 36-year-old man, was initially misdiagnosed with dermatomyositis, a rare disease that causes muscle inflammation and skin rash. The report, “Proximal muscle weakness as the sole manifestation…

Prolonged use of glucocorticoids to reduce inflammation triggered by facial dermal filler procedures likely caused Cushing’s syndrome in a 45-year-old woman, a case report describes. Long-term use of glucocorticoids should be avoided in such cases in favor of alternative treatments, its author noted. The report, “Case…

A minimally invasive procedure called central venous sampling (CVS) may help in the diagnosis of Cushing’s disease in people with a disease-causing pituitary tumor that is not detected by MRI scans, a study suggests. CVS, which measures the levels of the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) from the brain’s pituitary gland,…

The hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy and at childbirth may trigger the reappearance of Cushing’s disease in the mother following birth, a recent case report indicated. This is the first reported case of a woman with dormant Cushing’s disease during pregnancy who became symptomatic following delivery, according to…

Elevated blood sugar levels and a failure to respond properly to insulin – the hormone that helps regulate blood sugar – are common features in people with Cushing’s syndrome, according to a Chinese report. Its authors suggest that measures of insulin sensitivity and a response from beta-cells – the…

The 2008 Endocrine Society Practice guideline remains a valid tool for defining the clinical signs and at-risk groups that should undergo screening for Cushing’s syndrome, according to a 10-year prospective German study. However, while 73% of the Cushing’s diagnoses were made in the at-risk groups defined by the guideline, the…

Hard-to-treat psychosis can be one of the first signs of Cushing’s disease, according to researchers in Saudi Arabia who detailed the case of a young woman with the disorder who was initially misdiagnosed. The 22-year-old patient “presented to a psychiatry hospital before being referred to us because she resisted…

Transsphenoidal surgery (TSS), a minimally invasive surgery to remove tumors from the brain’s pituitary gland, was deemed safe and effective to treat Cushing’s disease in a 67-year-old woman, as described in a recent case report. While TSS is usually avoided in older patients due to a higher risk of…

The size of pituitary tumors that cause Cushing’s disease do not affect the levels of cortisol or clinical features in patients, a study suggests. The tumor’s ability to invade other brain tissues, however, likely impacts the chances of tumor removal and disease remission, researchers noted. The study, “Clinical…