Limiting the number of measurements in the low-dose overnight dexamethasone suppression test (oDST), which is commonly used to diagnose Cushing’s syndrome, does not affect the test’s performance, a study showed. A new protocol, called Reflex, performs additional tests only among people whose initial tests suggest the presence of Cushing’s.
Long-term use of topical corticosteroids for a genetic skin condition caused Cushing’s syndrome and adrenal insufficiency — low hormone production from the adrenal glands — in a 50-year-old woman, according to a case report. “This case highlights the risk of systemic complications from chronic topical corticosteroid use,” the researchers wrote.
A 21-year-old woman in Iran developed Cushing’s syndrome after using a nasal corticosteroid for about a year, according to a recent case study. The report highlights a warning for patients and doctors: even non-oral steroids, like those delivered through the nose, can lead to serious side effects with prolonged use.
Abnormalities in regulating blood sugar are prevalent in people with Cushing’s disease, but can be improved for many with surgery, a study finds. The data emphasize the importance of careful blood sugar monitoring before and after surgery, according to the study’s authors. The study, “The outcome of…
A woman with an adrenal gland tumor producing cortisol, which may have progressed to Cushing’s syndrome without treatment, experienced relief from her symptoms after surgery to remove the tumor. The woman, Hanna Pierce, expressed relief that her symptoms resolved quickly after the procedure, citing improvements in her mood and energy…
A team of clinicians in China successfully diagnosed and treated a 28-year-old woman with pregnancy-complicated Cushing’s syndrome, with both mother and child making full recoveries after a Cesarian section delivery at nearly eight months’ gestation, a study reports. The obstetrical team attempted “active complication management,” but otherwise followed a…
People with Cushing’s disease are at a higher risk for certain types of blood clots than individuals with other forms of pituitary gland tumors, a U.K. study found. Specifically, for example, the risk of clotting complications was more than 40 times higher among those with Cushing’s disease than for…
A combination of two noninvasive tests — the dexamethasone suppression test and high-resolution MRI scans — was found to correctly distinguish between Cushing’s disease and ectopic Cushing’s syndrome in patients, according to a new study. The accuracy seen in combining these tests was comparable to that of bilateral inferior…
A pituitary tumor and thyroid cancer were found in a 43-year-old woman with cyclic Cushing’s syndrome, a form of Cushing’s in which cortisol levels rise and fall over time, according to a case report from China. The researchers noted that such fluctuations in a person’s cortisol levels can throw off…
People with endogenous Cushing’s syndrome face a higher risk of cancer compared with the general population, and are twice as likely to develop cancers within 10 years of their diagnosis, according to a new study from Israel. Being 60 or older, male, or having adrenal Cushing’s — a form of…
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