Ectopic Cushing’s syndrome

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Endocrine glands

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Ectopic Cushing’s syndrome

Alternative Names:

Cushing's syndrome - ectopic

Symptoms:

Ectopic Cushing's syndrome tends to present with less dramatic features than classic Cushing's syndrome, but with higher blood pressure and lower potassium. Weight loss may be present due to underlying cancer.

Classic features of Cushing's syndrome are:

moon face (round, red, and full)
"buffalo hump" -- collection of fat between the shoulders
central obesity -- protruding abdomen and thin extremities
weakness
headache
acne or superficial skin infections
thirst
increased urination
purple striations on the skin of the abdomen, thighs, and breasts
mental changes
impotence or cessation of menses (loss of menstrual periods)

Signs and tests:

Tests are done to confirm hypercortisolism, then further tests are done to determine the cause.

Tests that confirm hypercortisolism:

a 24-hour urine for cortisol and creatinine
a dexamethasone suppression test
serial serum cortisol levels

Test that determines cause:

serum ACTH, elevated

Further signs:

fasting glucose, elevated
serum potassium, low

Review Date: 1/18/2006
Reviewed By: Nikheel S. Kolatkar, MD, 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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