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Researchers studying two Chinese families affected by a rare form of Cushing’s syndrome found that two mutations affecting the ARMC5 gene — which had not been described to date — caused the disorder. Their study, “Whole-genome sequencing revealed armadillo repeat containing 5 (ARMC5) mutation in a Chinese family with…

Measuring blood serum cortisol levels several times a day after pituitary tumor surgery for Cushing’s disease can help doctors predict whether the operation eliminated the disorder, a study reports. The hormone measurements are also valuable for determining if a patient needs a second surgery, which improves the chance that the…

Removing asymptomatic benign tumors that grow in the adrenal gland is safe and effectively reduces health-risks associated with these tumors in elderly patients, a case report suggests. The report, “Giant Cavernous Hemangioma of the Adrenal Gland in an Elderly Patient” was published at Internal Medicine, the…

Patients with different subtypes of Cushing’s syndrome (CS) have distinct plasma steroid profiles. This could be used as a test for diagnosis and classification, a German study says. The study, “Plasma Steroid Metabolome for Diagnosis and Subtyping Patients with Cushing Syndrome,” appeared in the journal Clinical Chemistry. A…

Children with endogenous Cushing’s syndrome may have an abnormal white blood cell count, which relates to the severity of their disease and puts them at risk for infections. Their pattern of abnormalities are similar to that seen in adults with the disease, say researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver…

Blood immune cells may contribute to metabolic and cardiovascular disease in patients with Cushing’s syndrome, suggest researchers at IDIBAPS in Barcelona, Spain. The research team showed that Cushing’s syndrome patients have increased numbers of certain immune cells in their blood, even though their increased cortisol levels are considered immunosuppressive. Moreover,…

Pregnant woman with hypertension and significant signs of hypercortisolism (high cortisol levels) may have Cushing’s disease, according to a new case report. The report, titled “A Case of Cushing’s Syndrome in Pregnancy,” was published in the Iranian Journal of Medical Sciences. While Cushing’s rarely occurs…

Scientists have developed a better method of diagnosing Cushing’s syndrome that measures cortisol levels in a patient’s saliva. The enhanced testing protocol improves upon a method originally developed for urine cortisol, a study shows. The study, “Clinical utility of an ultrasensitive late night salivary cortisol assay by tandem mass…

The surgical removal of two-thirds of the pituitary gland is associated with high initial remission rates and low operative morbidity in patients with suspected Cushing’s disease, when no tumor is found on the gland during surgical exploration. Cushing’s disease (CD) is caused by increased levels of glucocoticosteroids, such as…

Ectopic Cushing’s syndrome can be challenging to diagnose, especially when it comes identifying the problem source. But appropriate hormone management protocols, used in combination with advanced imaging methods, may help physicians identify ectopic ACTH-producing tumors. The findings in a case report of a young man with ectopic Cushing’s syndrome were…