1. Cushing’s Syndrome
By: Laura Brown, Sarah Afiz and
Nick Olson

2. What is Cushing’s
Syndrome?
 Cushing’s syndrome is caused by prolonged
exposure of the bodies’ tissue to high levels
of the hormone cortisol
 Cushing syndrome is also called
hypercortisolism

3. What is Cortisol?
 Cortisol is a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands
 Enables regulation of glucose metabolism
 Regulates blood pressure and blood sugar
 Reduce inflammation
 Suppresses immune function
 Most importantly cortisol helps the body respond to
stress (called the “stress hormone”)

4. Causes of Cushing’s
 Majority of the people who suffer from
Cushing’s syndrome have had prior use of
glucocorticoid hormones
-Glucocorticoid hormones are used to prevent
transplant rejection as well as treat
inflammatory diseases such as asthma,
rheumatoid arthritis and lupus

5. Additional Causes
Other causes:
 Pituitary Adenomas: tumors of pituitary gland
 Adrenal gland overgrowth or adrenal tumors
 Too much stress put on the body (ex. Athletes
under intense training, pregnant women-
carrying fetus)

6. Who’s affected?
 Can affect anyone but the disease is
extremely rare
 Any ethnicity
 Affects 10-15 people out of every
million
 Most commonly occurs in females
ages 25-50, 5:1 Female to Male ratio

7. Symptoms
 Upper body obesity (rounded face,
increased neck fat)
 Thinning around the arms and legs
 Delayed growth
 Easy bruising of skin
 Purplish-pink stretch marks on the
abdomen, thigh, buttocks, arms, and
breasts

8. Symptoms (cont.)
 High blood sugar, high blood pressure
 Depression and anxiety
 Increased hair growth in women
 Irregular menstrual cycles
 Bones are fragile, susceptible to fractures
easily

11. Treatments
 Depending on the reason for cortisol excess,
treatments include:
1. Surgery (pituitary/ adrenal gland surgery on
tumors –first line approach)
2. Radiation (can take many years to be
effective)
3. Chemotherapy
4. Cortisol inhibiting drug such as mitotane

12. Special Diet
 People living with Cushing’s must
maintain a certain diet
 Increased protein and calcium- to prevent
loss and thinning of bones
 Less Sodium to keep blood pressure
under control
 Less caffeine- stimulate pituitary gland

13. New Treatment
 Corcept Therapeutics Inc won U.S.
approval for a drug known as Korlym
that uses the active ingredient of the
abortion pill RU-486

14. Korlym
 Korlym blocks the binding of cortisol to its
receptor
 Korlym inhibits or reduces the effects of
excess cortisol
 Orphan drug status: Given to drugs
discovered for rare diseases. Allows
Corcept to have exclusive rights.

15. Other Facts
 This disease is not inherited
 People who are more prone to developing
tumors are at greater risk
 If the disease is not treated, it can be lethal
 Cushing’s can also lead to heart attacks and
strokes
 70% of patients with Cushing’s suffer from
diabetes.

16. Works Cited
1. Medecinenet. (2008, May 12). Retrieved from
http://www.medicinenet.com/cushings_syndrome/article.ht
m
2. Mayo Clinic Staff. (2010, September 11). Retrieved from
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cushings-
syndrome/DS00470
3. http://endocrine.niddk.nih.gov. (july, 2008). Retrieved from
http://endocrine.niddk.nih.gov/pubs/cushings/cushings.as
px
4. Scott, E. (2011, September 22). Cortisol and stress: How
to stay healthy. Retrieved from
http://stress.about.com/od/stresshealth/a/cortisol.htm
5. (n.d.). Cushing syndrome. [0]. Retrieved from
http://flipper.diff.org/app/items/info/418

17. Works cited cont.
6. Keil, M. (2004). Cushing. Retrieved from
http://csrf.net/page/cushings_syndrome_in_children.php
7. Adler, G. (2011, October 21). Cushing. Retrieved from
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/117365-overview
8. Cushing. (1996, June). Retrieved from
http://pituitary.mgh.harvard.edu/cushings.htm
9. Margulies, D. P. (n.d.). National adrenal diseases
foundation: Adrenal diseases - cushing. Retrieved from
http://www.nadf.us/diseases/cushings.htm
10. Adrenal glands. (2009, November 23). Retrieved from
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002219.htm
11. (05/1). Retrieved from
http://www.endocrineweb.com/endocrinology/your-adrenal-
glands