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Prolonged exposure to the hormone cortisol during periods of active disease in Cushing’s patients is linked to lower long-term quality of life but not to cognitive problems after remission, a study shows. The study, “Impaired quality of life, but not cognition, is linked to a history of chronic…

Roughly half of people worldwide with Cushing’s syndrome see their diagnosis delayed by more than two years despite showing symptoms of the disease, according to a new international survey. Researchers found that this delay perhaps occurs because doctors dismiss some of the hormonal disorder’s initial symptoms — which…

Certain molecules called microRNAs (miRNAs) that act to regulate protein production could underlie certain Cushing’s syndrome subtypes, a study found. Better understanding the role of these miRNAs and the proteins they affect will help facilitate a better understanding of disease processes, as well as the development of better treatments for…

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…