Even after successful treatment, patients with Cushing's disease who were older when diagnosed or had prolonged exposure to excess cortisol face a greater risk of dying or developing cardiovascular disease, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).
Cushing's disease is a rare condition where the body is exposed to excess cortisol - a stress hormone produced in the adrenal gland - for long periods of time.
Researchers have long known that patients who have Cushing's disease are at greater risk of developing and dying from cardiovascular disease than the average person. This study examined whether the risk could be eliminated or reduced when the disease is controlled. Researchers found that these risk factors remained long after patients were exposed to excess cortisol.
"The longer patients with Cushing's disease are exposed to excess cortisol and the older they are when diagnosed, the more likely they are to experience these challenges," said Eliza B. Geer, MD, of Mount Sinai Medical Center and lead author of the study. "The findings demonstrate just how critical it is for Cushing's disease to be diagnosed and treated quickly. Patients also need long-term follow-up care to help them achieve good outcomes."
The study found cured Cushing's disease patients who had depression when they started to experience symptoms of the disease had an elevated risk of mortality and cardiovascular disease. Men were more at risk than women, a trend that may be explained by a lack of follow-up care, according to the study. In addition, patients who had both Cushing's syndrome and diabetes were more likely to develop cardiovascular disease.