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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Cushing syndrome - exogenous

Hypothalamus hormone production
Hypothalamus hormone production
Alternative Names

Cushing syndrome - corticosteroid induced; Corticosteroid-induced Cushing syndrome; Latrogenic Cushing syndrome; Exogenous Cushing syndrome


Symptoms
  • Euphoria, unrelated to life situation
  • Moon face (round, red and full)
  • Buffalo hump (a collection of fat between the shoulders)
  • Central obesity with an abdomen that sticks out and thin arms and legs
  • Weight gain
  • Weakness
  • Backache
  • Headache
  • Acne
  • Purple streaks on the skin of the abdomen, thighs, and breasts
  • Frequent and easy bruising
  • Mental changes
  • Impotence
  • Stopping of menstruation

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

  • Thirst
  • Increased urination

Signs and tests

In people who currently use cortisone, prednisone or other corticosteroids, the following test results may suggest exogenous Cushing syndrome:

  • ACTH level, checked in the morning, may be low or undetectable
  • Cortisol level, checked in the morning, may be low or undetectable
  • No response to a Cosyntropin stimulation test
  • Fasting glucose is sometimes higher than normal
  • Serum potassium may be low
  • Low bone density, as measure by dual x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA)
  • High cholesterol, particularly high triglycerides and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL)

High levels of the suspected medication in the urine can be seen with a method called high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).



Review Date: 08/08/2006
Reviewed By: Robert Hurd, MD, Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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