Diagnosing, Managing Cushing's Disease: A Multidisciplinary Overview

JANUARY 2009 I REVIEW OF ENDOCRINOLOGY I 19 C ushing’s syndrome is the clinical manifestation of glucocorticoid excess. When the most common cause, exogenous glucocorticoid intake, is excluded, one is left with a group of disorders in which a tumor (or rarely hyperplastic tissue) either produces excess cortisol or stimulates excess cortisol production indirectly through overproduction of either adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) or corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH).1-4