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Cushing syndrome

Definition:

Cushing syndrome is a disease that occurs when your body produces too much of the hormone cortisol. It may also occur if you use take too much cortisol or other steroid hormones.

Alternative Names:

Hypercortisolism

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

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

Cushing 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 syndrome), or by long-term use of corticosteroids (drugs commonly used to treat conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and asthma ).

Risk factors for Cushing syndrome are adrenal or pituitary tumors, long-term therapy with corticosteroids, and being female.

See also:

Endocrine glands

Review Date: 1/18/2006
Reviewed By: Nikheel S. Kolatkar, M.D., Clinical and Research Fellow, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Hypertension, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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