Related Experiment Video For Cushing's disease
Updated: May 3, 2026
Evaluation of Hepatic Glucose Production in a Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Mouse Model
Published on: March 5, 2022
Polycystic ovarian syndrome and Cushing's syndrome: a persistent diagnostic quandary
Jessica Brzana1, Christine G Yedinak2, Nadia Hameed1
1Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Portland, OR, USA.
Objective:
To retrospectively review institutional records of female patients of reproductive age with Cushing's disease (CD) and determine if and how many had been previously diagnosed as having solely polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). To determine whether clinical patterns might be useful in identifying appropriate candidates for hypercortisolism screening in women suspected of PCOS.
Study Design:
The study included 50 patients with pathologically proven CD at Oregon Health & Science University, Northwest Pituitary Center between 2006 and 2011. Physical, clinical, and biochemical features for hypercortisolism were compared.
Results:
Of 50 patients with pathologically proven CD, 26 were women of reproductive age. Of these, half had previously been diagnosed with and treated initially solely for PCOS. Hirsutism and menstrual abnormalities were more common in the group with an initial PCOS diagnosis than in the group with an initial CD diagnosis.
Conclusions:
Prolonged exposure to hypercortisolism has been linked with increased mortality and morbidity. Tests for hypercortisolism in all the PCOS cases we report led to an appropriate CD diagnosis. Future research should focus on when and which (if not all) women with suspected PCOS should be tested for hypercortisolism.
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