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Scores of events are afoot worldwide to mark Feb. 28, Rare Disease Day 2019. The activities aim to raise awareness about rare diseases and the millions of people — estimates run as high as 350 million — they are thought to impact. Across countries, patients, caregivers and advocates will paint faces, wear…

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy — a minimally invasive procedure that removes the adrenal glands through a tiny hole in the abdomen — can be safely performed in obese patients with Cushing’s syndrome, a retrospective study reports. The surgery resolved symptoms in 95% of cases, reducing cortisol levels, lowering blood pressure, and leading to…

Ocular hypertension — increased blood pressure inside the eye — might be a secondary symptom of Cushing’s disease, caused by long-term exposure to high cortisol levels, a case report shows. The study, “Ocular hypertension secondary to high endogenous steroid load in Cushing’s disease,” was published in BMJ…

Optical imaging that measures water content and blood volume in the cheek might be an efficient and non-invasive method to assess short- and long-term remission in people with Cushing’s disease, according to a study. The study, “Optical Imaging Technology: A Useful Tool to Identify Remission in Cushing Disease…

A shorter duration of adrenal insufficiency — when the adrenal gland is not working properly — after surgical removal of a pituitary tumor may predict recurrence in Cushing’s disease patients, a new study suggests. The study, “Recovery of the adrenal function after pituitary surgery in patients with Cushing Disease:…

Tumors located outside the pituitary gland that produce the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) may cause, on rare occasions, cyclic Cushing’s syndrome — when cortisol levels show substantial fluctuations over time. That finding, based on the case of a patient with ACTH-secreting lung cancer,  is found in the study, “Cyclic Cushing’s syndrome caused…

Signifor (pasireotide) — a treatment approved for Cushing’s disease patients who are not cured by surgery — reduces the growth of pituitary tumor cells by lowering the amount of activated ERK1/2 proteins, a study finds. The treatment also induces programmed cell death, the scientists discovered. The study, “…

A patient’s age, urinary-free cortisol (UFC) level, fasting glucose — a measure of insulin resistance — body mass index (BMI), and the number of comorbidities at diagnosis for Cushing’s syndrome predicted the number of long-term comorbidities several years after remission, according to a study. Specifically, older age, lower baseline UFC,…

Transsphenoidal surgery — a minimally invasive surgery for removing pituitary tumors in Cushing’s disease patients — is also effective in children and adolescents with the condition, leading to remission with a low rate of complications, a study reports. The research, “Neurosurgical treatment of Cushing disease in pediatric patients:…

A simple test that measures free cortisol levels in saliva at midnight — called a midnight salivary cortisol test — showed good diagnostic performance for Cushing’s syndrome among a Chinese population, according to a recent study. The test was better than the standard urine free cortisol levels and may be…