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
3. 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”)
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. Causes of Cushing’s
(cont.)
Other causes:
Pituitary Adenomas: tumors of pituitary
gland
Adrenal gland overgrowth or adrenal
tumors
6. 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
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
9.
10. 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).
11. 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
12. 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.
13. 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.