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Signifor (pasireotide), a treatment for Cushing’s disease patients for whom surgery failed or is not an option, significantly reduces the size of benign pituitary tumors in more than 40% of people with the condition, according to a review of published studies. However, the researchers noted that tumor reduction was…

People with active Cushing’s disease show increased production of red blood cells due to the presence of a type of altered blood stem cell that show abnormal activation of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling, a study shows. The GR is the receptor protein activated by glucocorticoids, or steroid hormones, including…

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…

A 70-year-old woman with ectopic Cushing’s syndrome was successfully treated for COVID-19 with intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg) — a therapy prepared from the blood of thousands of healthy donors that contains a mixture of antibodies — according to a case report. Given the lack of guidelines for the management of…

The case of a woman with Cushing’s syndrome whose symptoms included eyelid edema — swelling of the upper eyelids — was described in a recent report. Its authors described eyelid edema is “a significant sign” of Cushing’s, but also noted the symptom “has scarcely been reported in countries other than…

Removing a pituitary tumor through the nostrils with an endoscope led to shorter recovery times for patients with Cushing’s disease than for those who had the surgery through the traditional microscopic approach, a study reports. However, similar remission, recurrence, and complication rates were found between patients, regardless of the…

A man with a known history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and asthma developed Cushing’s syndrome after taking Tybost (cobicistat) together with fluticasone, according to a report from Spain. Tybost is a antiretroviral medicine booster, while fluticasone is a corticosteroid. The condition occurred because Tybost slows down how fast…

A minimally invasive chest surgery using a single-incision subxiphoid approach was used to effectively remove a tumor in the thymus of a 29-year-old woman with ectopic Cushing’s syndrome, as described in a recent case report. The muscle-sparing incision causes less trauma and potentially could reduce post-surgical pain and shorten recovery…