ABSTRACT
Cushing’s syndrome is a symptom complex initially described by Harvey Cushing in 1932 as ‘‘pituitary basophilism’’ with a constellation of obesity, diabetes, arterial hypertension, muscular weakness, and adrenal hyperplasia (1). Whereas the term Cushing’s syndrome is used for hypercortisolism of various etiologies, Cushing’s disease, the most frequent form of the homonymous syndrome, is caused by excess pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) from microadenoma. All symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome result from long-term exposure of tissues to glucocorticoid excess. Although the entity is rare and difficult to diagnose, it should always be considered as the putative cause of many diverse and nonspecific clinical manifestations (2).
