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Cushing's Awareness Month: What People Need to Know

* This disease is so underdiagnosed and testing is so complicated, we should get a whole month!!

* Did you know that 40% of the tumors causing pituitary Cushing's do not show up on high resolution brain MRIs?

* Did you know that there is no one test that determines the presence of Cushing's disease? Did you know that doctors want to see many high cortisol values in many different tests (urine, saliva, blood) that are often 3 to 4 times the upper limit of the normal range? Plus, doctors think that a high test value is 'lab error' and often ask for more testing of the test that already showed an abnormal value.

* Did you know that countless patients who do not meet…

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Resources

Cushie Blogger

We are a group of Cushing's patients, family members and friends, who are members of the Cushing's Help and Support Message Boards. We don't always write about Cushing's because we have varied and interesting lives but the syndrome is always lurking behind the scenes, somewhere.

Cushing's Support & Research Foundation

•To provide information and support for Cushing’s Disease and Cushing’s Syndrome patients and their families; •To increase awareness in the medical community and the general public about Cushing’s Disease and Cushing’s Syndrome; •To be a resource for information and support to health care professionals;

Cushing's with Moxie: Fighting The Worst Disease You've Never Heard Of

When Cushies don't know where to turn...

Cushing's-Help.com

Take the time to go through the information at this site. It includes how to get to the best resource site on the web, Mary O's Cushings Help website at http://www.cushings-help.com. She includes a lot of information in her site, and a message board for you to join and ask questions, share information, and meet others who are doing the same.

Cushings Awareness

I am creating this to inform everyone about this rare disorder, and give cushies and people affected by cushings a chance to vent to each other.

Life With Chronic Illness

The journey through diagnosis and treatment of Cushing's disease.

Living with Cushing's Disease

My battle with Cushing's Disease and Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency.

Cushing Syndrome

Treatments for Cushing syndrome can return your body's cortisol production to normal and noticeably improve your symptoms. The earlier treatment begins, the better your chances for recovery.

MedicineNet

Treatment depends on the specific reason for cortisol excess and may include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or the use of cortisol-inhibiting drugs. If the cause is long-term use of glucocorticoid hormones to treat another disorder, the doctor will gradually reduce the dosage to the lowest dose adequate for control of that disorder. Once control is established, the daily dose of glucocorticoid hormones may be doubled and given on alternate days to lessen side effects.

MedlinePlus

Cushing's syndrome is a hormonal disorder. The cause is long-term exposure to too much cortisol, a hormone that your adrenal gland makes. Sometimes, taking synthetic hormone medicine to treat an inflammatory disease leads to Cushing's. Some kinds of tumors produce a hormone that can cause your body to make too much cortisol.

NHS

Cushing's syndrome often develops as a side effect of treatment with corticosteroids. Corticosteroids are widely used to reduce inflammation and treat autoimmune conditions (where the immune system malfunctions and attacks healthy tissue). A less common cause of Cushing's syndrome is where a tumour (growth) develops inside one of the body's glands, causing it to produce an excessive amount of hormones. This is known as endogenous Cushing's syndrome.

Patient

Cushing's syndrome is caused by prolonged exposure to elevated levels of either endogenous or exogenous glucocorticoids. The degree of cortisol overproduction is very variable. When presentation is florid, diagnosis is usually straightforward. However, the presentation may be subtle and the combination of nonspecific clinical manifestations and variable cyclical biochemical parameters often makes the diagnosis difficult. Because of the significant morbidity and mortality of Cushing's syndrome, early diagnosis and prompt treatment are essential.