2025 Metabolic Syndrome: Could it be Cushing’s Disease?

2025 Metabolic Syndrome: Could it be Cushing’s Disease? is organized by Penn State University (PSU) College of Medicine Continuing Education and will be held on Apr 23, 2025 at University Conference Center - Penn State Health, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America.

Purpose/Overview:
Cushing disease/syndrome is a relatively rare condition resulting from adrenal cortisol overproduction. It is associated with significant morbidity (e.g., venous thromboembolism, myocardial infarction, stroke, peptic ulcers, fractures, and infections) and increased mortality. Early diagnosis is critical, however many of the early clinical manifestations of Cushing, such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and fatigue, are common among the population at large. Screening everyone who presents with these common conditions is not practical or cost effective, so it is challenging to identify which patients to screen. Consequently, in many patients with Cushing the diagnosis is either delayed or missed with disastrous clinical outcome. Awareness of which clinical clues should raise the suspicion of Cushing will inform which patients should be screened leading to an early diagnosis and treatment.

Highlights:
This activity is presented with philanthropic support from the Cushing’s Disease Awareness Fund, established by grateful patient Marie Conley in 2018. Marie was an active professional with a busy family life when she suddenly began to experience multiple seemingly unrelated health issues over a two-year period: a fractured hip, significant weight gain and pneumonia. It took ten specialists and hundreds of tests to finally diagnose Marie with the rare disease known as Cushing’s. To help other patients facing the same diagnosis, Marie established the Cushing’s Disease Awareness Fund at Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine to educate medical professionals and students to recognize the complex symptoms of Cushing’s Disease.

Objectives:

• Recognize the diverse phenotypic expression of hypercortisolism and the contrast to the caricature created in the 20th century.
• Demonstrate why hypercortisolism needs to be considered in patients with the metabolic syndrome and what screening tests should be considered.
• Differentiate the causes of hypercortisolism and be able to recommend the best treatment modality.