Misdiagnosis of Cushing's syndrome
Alternative diagnoses list for Cushing's syndrome:
For a diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome,
the following list of conditions
have been mentioned in sources
as possible alternative diagnoses
to consider during the diagnostic process for Cushing's syndrome:
Diseases for which Cushing's syndrome may be an alternative diagnosis
The other diseases for which Cushing's syndrome
is listed as a possible alternative
diagnosis in their lists include:
Cushing's syndrome: Hidden Causes Misdiagnosed?
Causes of Cushing's syndrome may include these medical conditions:
Cushing's syndrome Diagnosis: Book Excerpts
Common Misdiagnoses and Cushing's syndrome
Cushing's disease can be mistaken for depression: Cushing's disease (or similarly Cushing's syndrome) is a possible misdiagnosis for a person
diagnosed with depression.
It is an endocrine disorder with many depressive-like characteristics,
but also some physical symptoms; see symptoms of Cushing's disease.
Cushing's disease may also have schizophrenia-like symptoms such as paranoia and delusions,
leading to a misdiagnosis of schizophrenia.
Manic or euphoria type symptoms are also possible, with a misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder.
See overviews of depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and Cushing's disease.
Leg cramps at night a classic sign: The symptom of having leg muscle cramps,
particularly at night, is a classic sign of undiagnosed diabetes.
However, there are also various other causes.
See causes of leg cramps or misdiagnosis of diabetes.
Pituitary conditions often undiagnosed cause of symptoms: There are a variety of symptoms
that can be caused by a pituitary disorder (see symptoms of pituitary disorders).
For example, fatigue, headache, weight gain, diabetes-like symptoms, and various other symptoms.
Pituitary tumors and other similar conditions are not as rare as physicians tend to believe.
See introduction to pituitary conditions.
Cushing's syndrome of obesity?: Cushing’s syndrome usually occurs
due to chronic steroid administration, bilateral adrenal hyperplasia, adrenal
tumour and ACTH excess. Morbidity and mortality
associated with Cushing syndrome are related primarily to the effects of excess
glucocorticoids. The patient usually presents to the doctor with features of
weight gain more so on the face with skin changes, depression and muscle
weakness. A proper history is needed to rule out conditions like obesity,
bulimia, alcoholism and depression.
Rare cases of headache: Headache is
one of the common symptoms presenting in general practice. It needs a sound
diagnostic and management strategy as the problem can be confusing. The key to
diagnosing the condition is to know and understand the cause. A lot of factors need
to kept in mind in order as to avoid misdiagnosing the cause of headache. A
good history regarding the onset, duration, associated symptoms and general
physical examination of the patient is a must. Common conditions such as migraine,
tension headache, sinusitis and refractive errors of the eye can be easily
diagnosed. But one must also be able to identify conditions such as Paget’s
disease, Conn’s syndrome, Addison’s disease and Cushing’s syndrome which may make a
rare presentation in the form of a headache.
Various reasons for obesity: Various studies have shown that approximately 10% of prepubertal and 15% of adolescent age groups are obese. Parents often blame obesity in children on their diet but endocrine or metabolic causes must be readily differentiated from exogenous obesity by a simple physical examination and an assessment of the linear growth. Children with exogenous obesity tend to have an accelarated linear growth whereas children with secondary causes are usually short. Some congenital or inherited disorders associated with obesity which must be kept in mind include Prader- Willi syndrome, Laurence Moon Biedl syndrome and Beckwith Wiedemann syndrome. Endocrine disorders in children taht rarely cause obesity include hypothyoidism, Cushing's syndrome, insulinomas and Frohlich's syndrome.
General Misdiagnosis Articles
Read these general articles with an overview of misdiagnosis issues.
About misdiagnosis:
When checking for a misdiagnosis of Cushing's syndrome
or confirming a diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome,
it is useful to consider what other
medical conditions might be possible misdiagnoses or other alternative
conditions relevant to diagnosis.
These alternate diagnoses of Cushing's syndrome may already have
been considered by your doctor or may need to be considered as possible
alternative diagnoses or candidates for misdiagnosis of Cushing's syndrome.
For a general overview of misdiagnosis issues for all diseases,
see Overview of Misdiagnosis.
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