Cushing disease

• June 28, 2021

Cushing disease (also called Cushing’s disease) occurs when your body makes too much cortisol, a hormone related to the body’s stress response. It’s a rare pituitary disorder that is progressive. That means that without treatment, it gets worse over time. With treatment, patients can lead active lives with fewer symptoms.

What’s the difference between Cushing syndrome and Cushing disease?

Both illnesses come from too much cortisol in the body.

In Cushing syndrome (also called Cushing’s syndrome), excess cortisol can come from outside or inside the body. For example, it can come from using corticosteroid medications, such as prednisone. Or it can come from a pituitary or adrenal tumor causing the body to make too much cortisol.

Cushing disease is a specific type of Cushing syndrome. It occurs when a pituitary tumor causes the body to make too much cortisol. Cushing disease is the most common form of endogenous (from the body) Cushing syndrome, and makes up about 70% of Cushing syndrome cases