Re: Cushing's Syndrome surgical outcomes

Luke Webber writes:

> Many thanks for a truly helpful post. It seems wierd to be *hoping* that a
> friend has Cushing's, but given the alternative, it sounds like a walk in
> the park.

When Cushing's syndrome can be easily treated, it's not much of a
problem.  When it cannot, it produces a constellation of problems, and
may be incompatible with life, either short-term or (especially)
long-term, depending on the severity of the syndrome.  Severe, untreated
Cushing's syndrome is like having ten diseases at once, any one of which
is likely to end life early.

It's really nothing more than the problems you get with long-term
administration of steroids.  This is why steroids are usually used with
great care and only for short periods.

Incidentally, severe cases of Cushing's syndrome can be very readily
recognized by simply looking at the patient.  Search the Web for images
to see a few striking examples.  However, the syndrome can present with
a complete range of severities, from subclinical (it may never be
recognized or may never merit any special treatment) to
life-threatening.

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