What is Cushing's Syndrome? Cushing's syndrome refers to the physical and emotional difficulties caused by an elevated cortisol level. Features of excess cortisol include weight gain, especially centrally, fatigue, easy bruisability, excess hair growth (termed hirsutism), susceptibility to infection, depression, menstrual irregularities in women, decreased libido and erectile dysfunction in men, high blood pressure, diabetes, and weak and brittle bones (osteoporosis). Many of these are non-specific, meaning that people who have them usually do not have Cushing's syndrome. Most patients who do have Cushing's syndrome have some, but not all, of these features. There is a characteristic appearance in many patients who have excess cortisol which includes a round, reddened face, excess fat pad in the back of the neck ("buffalo hump"), excess fat in the collarbone area, central weight gain, primarily in the abdomen, with relative thinning of the arms and legs, and abdominal stretch marks. In the majority of cases, it can be cured, with improvement in all of these features.

Research Studies Available - SOM 230: A Study to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of SOM 230 in Patients with Cushing’s Disease

Neuroendocrine Bulletin Archive

• Update on Transsphenoidal Surgery for Cushing’s Disease - Brooke Swearingen, M.D.
• Potential Pituitary-directed Therapies for Cushing’s Disease - Beverly M.K. Biller, M.D.
• Physiologic Cortisol Dynamics and Cushing’s Syndrome in Pregnancy
• Cushing's FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions About Transsphenoidal Surgery For Cushing's Disease (ACTH Secreting Pituitary Tumors) - A Patient Guide
• Cushing's Disease after Successful Transsphenoidal Surgery - What to Expect and How to Manage
• Long-Term Mortality After Transsphenoidal Surgery For Cushing's Disease
• Pseudo-Cushing's Syndrome in HIV-Infected Patients
• Long-term Mortality and Morbidity after Transsphenoidal Surgery
• Clinical Uses of Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone in the Evaluation of Patients with Cushing's Syndrome
• Surgical Mangement of Cushing's Disease
• Major Diagnostic Advance: Bilateral Inferior Petrosal Sinus Sampling in Cushing's Syndrome

• Cushings Syndrome - NIH Statement

Profiles of the Endocrine Clinic: A Decade of the Massachusetts General Hospital Neuroendocrine Clinical Center.