News

Surgery to remove a tumor in the brain’s pituitary gland is effective in patients 75 years or older, including those with Cushing’s disease, and is associated with a low rate of complications, according to a study in France. The surgery was generally performed using a minimally invasive procedure and…

A pregnant woman underwent a successful laparoscopic adrenalectomy, a minimally invasive surgery to remove tumors in the adrenal glands, for Cushing’s syndrome which was caused by such a tumor and resolved, according to a case report. Although it is the standard treatment for adrenal tumors, laparoscopic adrenalectomy is not commonly done…

Dexamethasone suppression did not improve the detection of pituitary tumors via the use of PET, or positron emission tomography, scans in adults with Cushing’s disease, a new study has found. In most cases, using imaging tests to determine tumor location before pituitary surgery — the first-line treatment for Cushing’s…

Etomidate helped normalize dangerously high cortisol levels in a woman with Cushing’s syndrome who had an adrenal gland tumor before she having surgery to remove it, a recent case report shows. “In its severe form, Cushing’s syndrome is a medical emergency that must be rapidly controlled. Etomidate is both safe…

A 44-year-old man developed exogenous, or treatment-related, Cushing’s syndrome, after taking an herbal supplement called Nhan Sam Tuyet Lien, which contained undisclosed amounts of glucocorticoids, a case study reports. His symptoms eased after he stopped taking the supplement and started taking prednisone. “This case highlights the importance of history taking…

People with Cushing’s syndrome, which is caused by excessive levels of the hormone cortisol in the body, may experience changes in brain activity during sleep, especially in the first half of their sleep cycle, a study has found. Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which drives the adrenal glands sitting atop the kidneys…

Alterations in the activity of a signaling system called RAAS in fatty tissue could contribute to high blood pressure in people with Cushing’s syndrome, according to a recent report. Data showed gene activity associated with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system (RAAS) was altered in fatty tissue from Cushing’s patients relative to people without the…

Despite repeatedly testing negative for high cortisol levels on standard lab tests, a woman in her 30s was found to have Cushing’s syndrome after undergoing a specialized blood analysis. That test allowed doctors to measure the levels of the hormone cortisol — too much of which is a hallmark of…

Surgery to remove a tumor in the brain’s pituitary gland cured about a third of people with Cushing’s disease in a recent Thai study, a remission rate markedly lower than the 80-90% rate reported in other studies. Researchers believe the low rate might have been due to some surgeries…

While people with Cushing’s syndrome often experience hypertension, or high blood pressure, and diabetes — two conditions that put them at higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases — tumor removal surgery was found to ease these conditions in a new study from Tunisia. Indeed, most patients saw improvements within one…