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Cushing syndrome
Pronunciation
Definition 1
A condition in which there is too much cortisol (a hormone made by the outer layer of the adrenal gland) in the body. Cushing syndrome may be caused by taking too many steroid drugs or by certain types of tumors. Tumors that make adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) cause the adrenal gland to make too much cortisol. Symptoms of Cushing syndrome include a round face, thin arms and legs, severe fatigue and muscle weakness, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, purple or pink stretch marks on the skin, and weight gain, especially in the abdomen. (NCI Dictionary)
Definition 2
A syndrome caused by high levels of cortisol in the blood either due to excessive production and secretion of corticosteroids secondary to pituitary or adrenocortical neoplasms, or intake of glucocorticoid drugs. Signs and symptoms include a round face, upper body obesity, fragile and thin skin, purple stretch marks in the skin, fatigue, muscle weakness, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypertrichosis and amenorrhea in women, impotence in men, and osteoporosis. (NCI Thesaurus)
Definition 3
A condition, more commonly seen in females, due to hyperadrenocorticism resulting from neoplasms of the adrenal cortex or the anterior lobe of the pituitary, or to prolonged excessive intake of glucocorticoids for therapeutic purposes. The symptoms and signs may include rapidly developing adiposity of the face, neck, and trunk, kyphosis caused by osteoporosis of the spine, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, amenorrhea, hypertrichosis in females, impotence in males, dusky complexion with purple markings, polycythemia, pain in the abdomen and back, and muscular wasting and weakness. When secondary to excessive pituitary secretion of adrenocorticotropin, it is known as Cushing's disease. (Dorland, 27th ed) (NLM, Medical Subject Headings)
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