Stretch marks in women are usually related to obesity or past or present pregnancies. However, if they are purple (purple striae), they may indicate Cushing syndrome. This holds true for purple striae in men also. In these cases one should look for moon faces, a buffalo hump, centripetal obesity, and hirsutism. To help confirm the diagnosis, one can order a serum cortisol or 24-hour urine ketosteroid or hydroxysteroid test to pin down the diagnosis. If these are positive, an endocrinologist should be consulted.
Read excerpts from these other book chapters related to Stretch marks:
Copyright Details: Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care, Copyright © 2008 Williams & Wilkins.
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Title: Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care Authors: R. Douglas Collins MD, FACP Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Copyright: 2007 ISBN: 0-7817-6812-8 
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