Have you ever wondered why you or a loved one suddenly gained weight despite not making any major dietary shifts?
Or perhaps you’ve observed that your skin seems to bruise more easily than before, or you’ve spotted purple stretch marks appearing around your abdomen area.
These symptoms don’t always indicate separate medical conditions. In either of these three cases, there could be one premier condition to blame: Cushing syndrome.
Although this disease is somewhat rare, affecting only 40 people out of a million at a time with a majority of them being women, men can and have fallen victim to this fatal disease.
But what is Cushing syndrome anyway? And is it treatable?
Let’s uncover the truth about Cushing syndrome in more detail, including its causes, symptoms, and potential treatment plans.
What Is The Function of Cortisol?
Cortisol is an essential hormone that’s naturally produced in the body. It’s the hormone that’s responsible for regulating our stress response.
In normal quantities, it’s useful in regulating a lot of essential survival functions, like helping us appropriately respond to danger.
Specifically, the hormone cortisol does the following roles:
- Controls blood pressure
- Ensures the functioning of heart and blood vessels
- Controls blood sugar
- Helps the body convert food into energy
That said, if you consistently face elevated cortisol production, you can be at risk of health problems like high blood pressure and blood vessel damage.
Furthermore, if your cortisol levels are greater than 1.8 mg/dL, this can be grounds for an underlying health problem known as Cushing Syndrome.
Causes of Cushing Syndrome in Males
Cushing syndrome is a medical condition marked by an excessive amount of cortisol in the body for an extended period.
This can occur in one of two ways: the body produces too much cortisol or the body’s cortisol levels are pumped by medicines called glucocorticoids.
Also known as hypercortisolism, the most common cause of cushingoid features is excess corticosteroid use. These medications can come in various forms, with the most notable ones being prednisone, dexamethasone, and prednisolone.
This increased use can elevate the amounts of corticosteroids in the body. In some cases, Cushing syndrome can also arise from a pituitary adenoma.
This condition involves the development of a benign pituitary tumor in the pituitary gland, which can go on to develop an excessive production of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).
When this happens, the adrenal glands respond by growing an excessive amount of cortisol.
When Cushing syndrome is caused by excessive consumption of corticosteroid medicine, this is called exogenous Cushing syndrome. Over 80% of cases of Cushing syndrome fall under this category.
That said, Cushing syndrome can also develop when there are non-pituitary tumors or abnormalities in the endocrine system like an adrenal tumor that could spike cortisol growth.
For instance, men with tumors outside the pituitary or adrenal gland (particularly in the thyroid, lungs, or pancreas) might develop Cushing’s syndrome due to ectopic ACTH syndrome.
This, in turn, can cause the adrenal glands to secrete ACTH, which can result in the overproduction of cortisol and, ultimately, Cushing syndrome if left untreated.
Symptoms of Cushing Syndrome
Cushing syndrome can present itself differently from person to person. The best way to know for certain whether you have this condition or not is by talking with a medical professional.
That said, there are common symptoms associated with Cushing syndrome. Here are the most common symptoms of Cushing syndrome in more detail:
- Weight gain in the face
- Weight gain in the trunk, but not in limbs (See average weight chart for men)
- A buffalo hump, or fatty hump between the shoulders
- Purple stretch marks in the stomach, hips, breasts, thighs, and underarms
- Easily bruised skin
- Acne growth
- Slow wound healing
Furthermore, men may face specific symptoms caused by Cushing disease, specifically sexual health and related dysfunctions. These include:
- An impaired sex drive
- Erectile dysfunction
- Reduced infertility
Besides that, some people may or may not face the following Cushing Syndrome symptoms. These include the following:
- Darkening skin
- Tiredness and lethargy
- Anxiety, depression, and mood disorders
- Difficulty remembering things
- Insomnia
- High blood pressure
- Headaches
- Bone loss
If you’re experiencing these symptoms, it’s best to talk to a medical professional to diagnose and treat your hormonal problem.
Diagnosing Cushing Syndrome
You’ll need to get in contact with a medical provider for you to get a proper diagnosis of this condition.
Here are the likely tests that your provider will administer:
- A 24-hour urinary cortisol test
- Low or High-Dose Dexamethasone suppression test
- Blood test
If abnormal levels of cortisol are detected, your provider will find out the root cause of your disease, whether it’s because of medications or a tumor presence.
A CT scan, an MRI, or a BIPPS would be used to detect the presence of a pituitary or ectopic tumor in the body. If any abnormalities are spotted, treatment can commence.
Treatment of Cushing Syndrome
Once you’ve been diagnosed with Cushing Syndrome, your doctor can start treatment depending on the cause.
These are what doctors may likely administer:
- Medicine dosage reduction
- Surgery to remove the tumor
- Chemotherapy and radiation therapy
- Medicine to block cortisol release
When treating Cushing syndrome, be sure you do so under a medical expert’s supervision.
Consult Jacksonville, Florida’s Top Clinic For Men to Overcome Sexual Health Dysfunctions
Cushing syndrome can chip away at your self-esteem and physical health, but you don’t have to accept that life in dismay.
Treatment is available and accessible for the main condition.
Furthermore, there are plenty of opportunities to reverse male-specific symptoms related to Cushing Syndrome.
If you’re struggling with sexual dysfunction due to Cushing Syndrome, a local men’s health clinic like Prime Men’s Medical Center in Jacksonville can help you overcome your condition.
In particular, we offer a wide range of treatment options, including ED treatment, PE treatment, testosterone therapy, RestoreWave therapy, hormone therapy, and more.
If you want to supplement your Cushing Syndrome treatment with male dysfunction treatment, our team of medical experts are ready to help you out.
Schedule an appointment with us today, your initial consultation and first treatment are completely free.
