Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

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…

A 37-year-old woman developed Cushing’s syndrome due to the rare simultaneous presence of tumors in the pituitary and adrenal glands, according to a recent case report. In these cases, “an accurate clinical, physical and endocrine examination is always recommended,” the researchers wrote. The case report, “Simultaneous pituitary and adrenal…

Even with biochemical remission — having normal biochemical markers for liver inflammation — patients with Cushing’s disease have a two times higher risk of mortality compared with people without the disorder, a Swedish study found. Cardiovascular diseases and infections were the main causes of death, highlighting the importance of close…

Subclinical Cushing’s syndrome may be a risk factor for developing central serous chorioretinopathy, an eye disorder wherein fluid accumulates at the back of the eye, according to a recent case report. The report, “Association of chronic central serous chorioretinopathy with subclinical Cushing’s syndrome,” was published in the American…