SYNDROME, CUSHING'S

The constellation of symptoms and signs caused by an excess of cortisol hormone. Cushing syndrome is an extremely complex hormonal condition that involves many areas of the body. Common symptoms are thinning of the skin, weakness, weight gain, bruising, hypertension, diabetes, thin weak bones (osteoporosis), facial puffiness, and in women cessation of periods. Ironically, one of the commonest causes of Cushing's syndrome is the administration of "cortisol-like medications" for the treatment of diverse diseases. All other cases of Cushing's syndrome are due to excess production of cortisol by the adrenal gland including 1) an abnormal growth of the pituitary gland, which stimulates the adrenal gland, 2) a benign or malignant growth within the adrenal gland itself, which produces cortisol and 3) production within another part of the body (ectopic production) of a hormone that directly or indirectly stimulates the adrenal gland to make cortisol. Neurosurgeon Harvey Cushing (1869-1939) described hyperadrenocorticism (excessive production of cortisol by the adrenal gland) due quite specifically to an ACTH-secreting pituitary adenoma, a benign pituitary tumor that puts out ACTH (AdrenoCorticoTropic Hormone) which, in turn, drives (or overdrives) the adrenal gland to overproduce cortisol.