Hump behind the shoulders

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Overview

Treatment

Hump behind the shoulders

Definition:

This is a lump of fat on the back of the neck (cervicodorsal).

Alternative Names:

Buffalo hump

Considerations:

A buffalo hump by itself is not a sign of any one, specific condition. It must be considered in light of other symptoms and test results.

Common Causes:

extended use of some steroids (glucocorticoids such as prednisone, cortisone, and hydrocortisone)
extreme obesity
hypercortisolism (caused by Cushing's syndrome)
some drugs used for AIDS (reason unclear)
osteoporosis may cause curvature of the spine in the neck (kyphoscoliosis)

Review Date: 5/17/2005
Reviewed By: Vishal Datta, M.D., Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, New York Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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