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Clinical Presentation and Diagnosis of Cushing’s Syndrome

  • Chapter
Adrenal Disorders

Part of the book series: Contemporary Endocrinology ((COE))

Abstract

Prolonged exposure to high levels of glucocorticoids results in a syndrome first described by Cushing. Harvey Williams Cushing (1869–1939) reported the clinical syndrome of amenorrhea, bruising, cutaneous striae, facial plethora, high blood pressure, hirsutism, and myopathy and attributed it to “pituitary basophilism” (1). Bishop and Close were the first to name the new syndrome after Cushing in a case recognized as such the year Cushing published his paper (2). Albright was the first to recognize the role of glucocorticoids in this syndrome (3). A few years later, excessive secretion of corticotropin (ACTH) from pituitary was shown to be the cause of Cushing’s disease (4). The ectopic ACTH syndrome was described by the same person who later established the dexamethasone suppression test, the long-standing golden standard for the differential diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome (5).

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Authors
  1. Andrew N. Margioris
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  2. George P. Chrousos
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Crete School of Medicine, Heraklion, Crete, Greece

    Andrew N. Margioris MD

  2. Pediatric and Reproductive Endocrinology Branch, National Institute of Child and Human Development, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    George P. Chrousos MD

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Margioris, A.N., Chrousos, G.P. (2001). Clinical Presentation and Diagnosis of Cushing’s Syndrome. In: Margioris, A.N., Chrousos, G.P. (eds) Adrenal Disorders. Contemporary Endocrinology. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-101-5_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-101-5_13

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61737-029-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-101-5

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