Cushing's Info

How can YOU help spread the word?

• Participate in the Book Project!  Find out more about that here.

• We always need people to be interviewed in the BlogTalk Interview series.  These interviews usually take place on Thursday nights at 7:30PM Eastern but you can do this at any time that's convenient for you. 

If you're interested in being interviewed, there is more information here.  You can sign up by checking off the box on the Add Your Bio form, sending an email to MaryO, posting in this topic on the boards or filling out this form.

You do not need to be diagnosed to be interviewed!

• Add your own Helpful Doctor(s).  Write a review of existing doctors.  The more info we have, the better we all will be.

Learn about Cushing's and share your symptoms at http://curetogether.com/Cushings-Disease/

Cushing's Disease is an endocrine disorder caused by high levels of cortisol in the blood from a variety of causes. It is relatively rare, affecting 10-15 out of every million people. (Sources: Wikipedia, NIDDK)

At this writing 6 CureTogether members report having Cushing's Disease. The most common symptoms are: Weak muscles, Irritability, Bruise easily. The most common treatments are: Pituitary surgery, Radiation, Cortisol-inhibiting drugs.

This project was started in June 2008 and put on hold due to several "life issues", one of them being the enormous amount of time it takes to apply for non-profit status.

Here are some of the thoughts and ideas that will be in the book when finished, hopefully by December 2009.

MaryO: some people have articles on the website like http://www.cushings-help.com/helpful_hints.htm and these:

• Kate's Family Letter
• Kate's Packing Suggestions For Surgery
• Kate's Pituitary Surgery Observations
• LindaP's Cushing's Tips

From http://www.onmedica.com/NewsArticle.aspx?id=bed82431-f024-423e-bd4c-7dc0a4fcfbd6

Louise Newson, general practitioner, Solihull. Reviewed by Andrew Krenz, endocrinologist, Southampton.

Tuesday, 19 May 2009.

Key learning points

• The commonest cause of Cushing’s syndrome is iatrogenic
• 2% of obese, poorly controlled patients with type 2 diabetes diabetes type 2 diabetics may have Cushing’s syndrome
• Various biochemical tests are needed for diagnosis; this is complex and requires specialist expertise.
• The underlying cause of Cushing’s syndrome needs to be determined
• Treatment and prognosis depend on the underlying cause.
• Surgery is the treatment of choice for Cushing’s disease i.e. pituitary-dependent