Cushings Syndrome (Kaylee Kleinsasser)

Cushings
Syndrome
Physical Health Pediatric Diagnosis

Kaylee

Cushings Syndrome (Kaylee Kleinsasser)

Have you ever wondered what Cushings syndrome is and what the symptoms are? Cushings
syndrome is a condition that is from having too much cortisol in the body. Your brain and
pituitary gland is a major organ that controls how much cortisol the body makes. There are a few
ways that your body can have too much cortisol in it by your body making too much cortisol and
by taking too many steroids. When your body is producing too much cortisol it could be caused
by a tumor in one of your glands, the tumor could be either benign which means noncancerous or
malignant which means cancerous. The pituitary adenoma is a benign growth in the pituitary
gland and causes a condition called Cushing disease.
Cortisol is a hormone that is made in your adrenal glands and it has many functions that are
important to how your body functions. These important functions are; it helps your body get
energy in certain foods you eat like sugar and fat. Another big role it plays in our bodies it
responds to physical stress from an accident, injury and surgery for example if you were in an
accident and you lost some blood from an injury it would help keep your blood pressure in a
normal range. When youre stressed because of emotional problems like depression your body
makes extra cortisol. Another name for Cushings syndrome is hypercortisollism.
A commonly used steroid is prednisone this medicine is used for many medical conditions like
asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus and many other medical conditions. The medicines like
anti- inflammatory are used to lessen the effects or stop medical conditions where inflammation
is a major issue. Other reasons steroids are used for transplanted organs to help the stop the
rejection of the organ. When having a transplanted organ there are possibilities you might have to
take a steroid medicine for the rest of your life.
Some of the symptoms of Cushings syndrome are tiredness, feeling irritable, more facial hair
and body hair in woman, irregular or missed periods, easy bruising of the skin, round face (often
called moon face), increased fat in trunk area, that is the belly and upper back, stretch marks on
the skin especially on the belly, breast, thighs, muscle weakness, hypertension and vertigo. The
side effect that is most common with Cushings syndrome is sudden weight gain.
Having too much cortisol in your body can also lead to high blood sugar and type diabetes the
symptoms of that are increased thirst , urination, tiredness and blurry vison.

Cushings Syndrome (Kaylee Kleinsasser)

The study that was done was on 74 patients, 64 of the patients were
females and 10 were males with the disease of Cushings syndrome.
The ages of the patients tested with Cushings syndrome were from the
ages of 23 to 79 years. The first set of patients that had ACTCH
dependent pituitary micro adenoma was 33 females and 4 males. The
second group of the study that had ACTCH dependent pituitary macro
adenoma was 5 females and 1 male. The third group of the study that
had ectopic was 2 females and 2 males. The fourth group under the
ACTCH dependent pituitary that was unclear was 1 female and 0 male.
In the next set of ACTH independent adrenal under adenoma were 18
females and 2 male. Under the ACTCH independent adrenal carcinoma
were 4 females and 0 male. In the last ACTH independent adrenal
hyperplasia was 1 female and 1 male. All of these types of diseases
that are categorized into different sections that are separated by types
of diseases and the sex of the people. The patients that had adrenal
adenomas had a procedure done called laparotomy. The other set of
patients that had pituitary adenomas had a procedure done called
transsphenoidal adenomectomy. The 74 patients filled out a
questionnaire before the therapy and the therapy. The questions that
were asked before and after the therapy were what was your working
ability before and (after) treatment? A) Normal B) on sick leave C)
on disability pension D) retired because of age E) other? How soon
after therapy did you return to work? Before treatment (at present) do
you suffer from? Any of these problems A) muscle weakness B)
fatigue C) depression D) menstrual disorders or E) potency disorders? ,
do you feel fully recovered from Cushings syndrome? A) Yes B) no C)
unsure? Estimate the change in your general condition after therapy by
placing a cross (condition before therapy) and a dot (condition after
therapy) on appropriate places on the following line. 0 represents the
worst possible condition and 100 the best possible condition. Which of
the following medications are you taking present? A) Hydrocortisone
B) fludrocortisone acetate
C) estrogen D) testosterone E)
thyroxin F) desmopression.

Cushings Syndrome (Kaylee Kleinsasser)

Before the therapy was done, 71 patients had muscle weakness and after the
therapy was done only 32 patients had muscle weakness. The fatigue that
some patients experienced before the therapy were 76 and after the therapy
58. Depression that patients may feel before treatment was 56 and after the
treatment were 34. From the questionnaire that the patients filled out before
the therapy says that the menstrual disorders that decreased from 51 to 18
after the therapy was done. After the patients took the questionnaire males
reported potency disorders that decreased from 62 to 38 after the therapy
was done.
After the treatments were done there was a follow up period and 10 out of
the total of 74 died. The 10 patients that died after the treatment were from
postoperative pulmonary embolism, coronary heart disease, mitral valve
insufficiency and heart failure, aspiration pneumonia after hip surgery,
microcellular lung cancer, acute myocardial infarction, pancreatitis,
intracerebral hemorrhage, Morbus Parkinson and pulmonary embolism.
The estimated averages of the people that get Cushings syndrome are 10 to
15 million people in a year. The disease that accounts for the most people
having it is called pituitary adenomas which accounts for 70 percent in adults
and 60 to 70 percent in children and adolescents. Cushings syndrome
affects adults ranged from the age of 20 to the age 50; the women are
affected the most by Cushings syndrome for 70 percent of the population.
An occupational therapist can help someone with Cushings syndrome by
using mobility, safety, education, adaptive equipment and home
modifications. When working on mobility the patient will have the correct
way to do range of motion exercises to become stronger in an area that they
struggled with or because of weakness. When being taught the correct
mobility from an occupational therapist the patient will be able to function on
their own and move around safety by decreasing injuries that may occur.
When it comes to safety at work, home and school patients that have
Cushings syndrome need to know and practice safety skills from the
education of an Occupational therapist. It is important for the occupational
therapist to have the ability to educate their patients on how to manage their
symptoms from there disease to help them succeed in life. The role of the
occupational therapist plays in adaptive equipment is to make it easier for
the patient to complete everyday tasks that before they struggled with or
lost because of their condition. The adaptive equipment are tools that can
assist the patient in doing an everyday task for example using a sock aid to

Cushings Syndrome (Kaylee Kleinsasser)

help the patient put socks on easier than having to bend over and try to put
the sock on. The sock aid still gives the patient there independence with
everyday tasks. The occupational therapist will suggest certain home
modifications to change the patients environment so the patient can get
around better rather than struggling to perform simple tasks. The
Occupational therapist may suggest ways to change a certain part of their
setting for example instead of having stairs when the patient is in wheelchair
they need a wheelchair ramp to get from room to room. The occupational
therapist can help by providing the patient with an exercise program to help
with the sudden weight gain. With a person that experiences vertigo an
occupational therapist can help work on balance skills. An example would be
balancing on a balance board and throwing a ball back and forth.

Cushings Syndrome (Kaylee Kleinsasser)

References
Developed by, R. h. (2013). Cushing's Syndrome (Excess Cortisol
Hormone). CRS - Adult Health Advisor, 1.

Cushings Syndrome/Disease. (n.d.). Retrieved September 17, 2014.

(http://www.aans.org/Patient%20Information/Conditions%20and
%20Treatments/Cushings%20Disease.aspx)

Cushings Syndrome (Kaylee Kleinsasser)

Cushing's syndrome - Better Health Channel. (2012, May 1).

Retrieved September 17, 2014.
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages
/Cushing's_syndrome