Hypercortisolism

Alternative names

Cushing's syndrome

Definition

Cushing's syndrome is a disease caused by increased production of cortisol or by excessive use of cortisol or other steroid hormones.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Cushing's syndrome is a condition that results from an excess of cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands. The most common cause of Cushing's syndrome is Cushing's disease caused by excessive production of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) by the pituitary gland. ACTH stimulates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol.

Cushing's syndrome can be caused by a tumor of the pituitary gland, a tumor of the adrenal gland, a tumor somewhere other than the pituitary or adrenal glands (ectopic Cushing's syndrome), or by long-term use of corticosteroids (drugs commonly used to treat conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and asthma).

Risk factors are adrenal tumor or pituitary tumor, long-term therapy with corticosteroids, and being female.

See also:

• Cushing's disease (pituitary Cushing's)
  
• Cushing's syndrome - exogenous
  
• ectopic Cushing's syndrome
  
• Cushing's syndrome caused by adrenal tumor
  

Symptoms

• moon face (round, red, and full)
  
• buffalo hump (a collection of fat between the shoulders)
  
• central obesity with protruding abdomen and thin extremities
  
• weight gain
  
• weakness
  
• backache
  
• headache
  
• acne or superficial skin infections
  
• thin skin with easy bruising
  
• thirst
  
• increased urination
  
• purple striations on the skin of the abdomen, thighs, and breasts
  
• mental changes
  
• impotence or cessation of menses
  
• facial hair growth
  

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

• weight gain (unintentional)
  
• skin spots, red
  
• skin blushing/flushing
  
• muscle atrophy