IS THE RISK OF SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH INCREASED IN CUSHING'S DISEASE AND SYNDROME?

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Endocrinology
• Public Health

Background:

• Sudden cardiac death (SCD) accounts for a substantial portion of cardiovascular (CV) mortality.
• Cushing's syndrome (CS) is increasingly recognized as having a very high CV risk.
• The association between CS and SCD risk warrants detailed investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze existing literature on the relationship between Cushing's syndrome (CS) and sudden cardiac death (SCD).
• To identify and evaluate cardiovascular risk factors associated with SCD in CS patients.

Main Methods:

• A narrative review approach was employed due to the absence of clinical trials or registries.
• Literature search conducted across multiple databases including SCOPUS, Medline, PubMed, and Oxford Journals.
• Keywords used were "Cushing" and "sudden death".

Main Results:

• A limited number of publications (eight total) were identified, with a significant gap in research over the last three decades.
• Several risk factors (RFs) for SCD were identified as prevalent in patients with CS.
• The scarcity of research indicates that SCD risk in CS has been historically underestimated.

Conclusions:

• The clustering of identified risk factors suggests an elevated risk of SCD in Cushing's syndrome (CS) and Cushing's disease (CD).
• Further research into risk stratification tools for CV events, specifically SCD, is recommended.
• Personalized preventive measures targeting individual CV risk levels in CS patients are crucial for reducing SCD incidence.