By: Laura Brown, Sarah Afiz and

Nick Olson

Cushing’s Syndrome

What is Cushing’s

Syndrome?

Cushing’s syndrome is caused by prolonged

exposure of the bodies’ tissue to high levels

of the hormone cortisol

What is Cortisol?

Cortisol is a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands

Helps maintain proper glucose metabolism, regulation of blood pressure, insulin released for blood sugar control, immune function and inflammatory response

Most importantly cortisol helps the body respond to stress (called the “stress hormone”)

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

Causes of Cushing’s

(cont.)

Other causes:

Pituitary Adenomas: tumors of pituitary

gland

Adrenal gland overgrowth or adrenal

tumors

Who’s affected?

Can affect anyone but the

disease is extremely rare

Affects 20,000 people in the U.S,

and 10-15 million people

worldwide

Most commonly occurs in females

ages 25-50

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

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

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 drugs: An example is

-Steroidogenesis inhibitor medications such as

Mitotane (83% of Cushing patients treated with

Mitotane went into remission).

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

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.

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.

Children with Cushing’s

Syndrome

Works Cited