News

People with high cortisol levels have lower muscle mass and higher visceral fat deposits, putting them at a greater risk for cardiovascular disease, new research shows. High levels of cortisol can result from a variety of reasons, including Cushing’s disease and adrenal tumors. Most adrenal tumors are found to…

Interactions between the HIV antiretroviral therapy Norvir (ritonavir) and the pain relief medication Kenalog (triamcinolone) can lead to Cushing’s disease, according to a new report. The study, “Acute development of Cushing syndrome in an HIV-infected child on atazanavir/ritonavir based antiretroviral therapy,” appeared in the journal…

The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) says it’s “disappointed and dismayed” after the House of Representatives voted 227-205 last week to repeal the Orphan Drug Tax Credit as part of a U.S. tax reform package. A similar package before the Senate Finance Committee does not repeal the credit…

Treatment with Xeloda (capecitabine) and Eloxatin (oxaliplatin) chemotherapy is a good and inexpensive therapeutic option in the rare cases where pancreatic tumors produce excess levels of the hormone that stimulates cortisol synthesis, leading to Cushing’s syndrome. The findings are from a case report of…

The prevalence in New Zealand of adrenal incidentalomas, which are masses in the adrenal glands incidentally discovered during an imaging test, is similar to that of international centers, a new study found. This means that current international guidelines for managing adrenal incidentalomas likely should be applied to patients in New Zealand…

Bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling (IPSS) — a procedure that uses desmopressin to determine levels of ACTH hormone from veins that drain from the pituitary gland, is a sensitive way to diagnose patients with Cushing’s disease and find tumors, a Chinese study shows. The study,“Tumour Lateralization in…

Doctors often prescribe somatostatin analogs to manage the hormonal imbalance that characterizes Cushing’s syndrome. However, in rare situations these medicines have paradoxically made patients worse than better. This recently happened with a 48-year-old Spanish woman whose Cushing’s syndrome was caused by an adrenal gland tumor that was producing excess adrenocorticotropic…

Inhaled steroids can cause Cushing’s syndrome if they are combined with medications that block liver enzymes, researchers at Spain’s Hospital Son Llátzer warn in a new study. While very low levels of inhaled steroids normally reach the blood, medications blocking these liver enzymes can boost their concentration and lead to Cushing’s…

Nizoral (ketoconazole), an off-label inhibitor of steroid hormone production, can change the way the body distributes and absorbs Korlym (mifepristone), a new study finds. Because doctors sometimes prescribe both drugs simultaneously to Cushing’s syndrome patients, they need to better understand how these drugs interact to ensure the best doses…

Children’s National Health System no longer treats just kids. Its Rare Disease Institute, launched in April 2017, has partnered with the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) to become the first of many U.S. “centers of excellence” to look after patients with rare diseases, regardless of age. The effort…