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The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) asks Americans to plan ahead to participate in the Light Up for Rare campaign to raise awareness of rare diseases. NORD is the U.S. sponsor for Rare Disease Day on Feb. 28. The annual awareness day spotlights approximately 7,000…

A generalized skin infection due to Mycobacterium chelonae — a rapidly growing type of bacteria — may be a manifestation of an impaired immune system due to Cushing’s disease linked to high cortisol hormone levels caused by an ACTH-producing tumor, a case report shows. The case highlights the need…

People with Cushing’s syndrome who have an increased percentage of a specific type of white blood cells, called neutrophils — which are involved in inflammation and act as the first line of defense against bacteria and other organisms — are at greater risk of developing diabetes mellitus, according…

Sparrow Pharmaceuticals is gearing up for the start of a Phase 2 trial that will assess the safety and effectiveness of the company’s experimental medicine SPI-62 in people with Cushing’s disease. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared Sparrow’s investigational new drug application (IND), giving the company…

In people with Cushing’s disease, the activity of an enzyme that breaks down vitamin D is altered, which may affect the effectiveness of vitamin D dietary supplements, according to a new study. The study, “Assessment of Vitamin D Metabolism in Patients with Cushing’s Disease in Response…

When placed over the skin, potent corticosteroids induced Cushing’s syndrome in an infant who was given the medications over a long period of time to treat diaper rash, a recent case study reported. “Physicians need to consider this in infantile [Cushing’s syndrome] cases, and take appropriate measures to avoid…

The case of an elderly woman who may have developed Cushing’s syndrome due to a hormone-producing lump in her lungs highlights the need for a timely and “multidisciplinary approach in [the] diagnosis and management” of hypercortisolism disorders, according to a new report. This patient’s signs and symptoms progressed…

The desmopressin stimulation test can be useful to diagnose Cushing’s during pregnancy, a time when its identification may be particularly challenging due to the hormonal changes these women experience, a new case report says. The report, “Desmopressin Stimulation Test in a Pregnant Patient with Cushing’s Disease,” was published…

Scientists have decoded molecular processes of a gene whose defects are implicated in Cushing’s disease and some cancers. Their study found that mutations in the ubiquitin-specific protease 8 (USP8) gene prevent a self-suppressing mechanism of the resulting enzyme, leading to its overactivation. Overactivation of this enzyme has been shown…

A combination of two easily performed tests reached 100% accuracy for diagnosing Cushing’s disease in people with an initial negative result from an MRI scan, or who had a a small tumor in their brain’s pituitary gland, a study reports. The study, “Indication to dynamic and…