To cite this article: Hui-Pin Hsiao, María López Iglesias, Margaret F. Keil, Sosipatros Boikos, Audrey Robinson-White, Constantine A. Stratakis
Differences in cortisol levels and body mass index between East Asians and Caucasians with Cushing's syndrome: an ?East Asian? phenotype for Cushing syndrome
Clinical Endocrinology (OnlineEarly Articles).
doi:10.1111/j.1365-2265.2007.02793.x

Full Article

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Differences in cortisol levels and body mass index between East Asians and Caucasians with Cushing's syndrome: an ‘East Asian’ phenotype for Cushing syndrome

Correspondence: Constantine A. Stratakis, Pediatric Endocrinology Training Program, DEB, NICHD, National Institutes of Health, Building 10, Clinical Research Center, Room 1-3330, 10 Center Drive, MSC1103, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. E-mail: stratakc@mail.nih.gov

• Yuma youth soldiering on after rare tumor removal
Yuma Sun - Yuma,AZ,USA
YUMA RESIDENT SCOTT RICHMOND, 18, recently had surgery to remove a tumor on his pituitary gland as a result of Cushing's Disease. He now takes five separate ...

• From http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/articles/6506242.html

Read the rest of the article at http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/articles/6506242.html

• From http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article_general_news?id=56516022

Guyana: Linden woman urgently in need of surgery still to raise US$12,000
Wednesday, March 14th 2007

The Linden woman who is in urgent need of surgery as she is suffering from a rare disease, Cushing's syndrome, is yet to raise the US$12,000 needed for the surgery in Trinidad.

"She is sitting at home wasting away and all the places her brother and I have approached are not giving any assistance," Valerie Sharpe of the Regional Welfare & Women's Affairs Committee, Region 10, told Stabroek News yesterday. The welfare committee is assisting the woman and her family in raising money for her surgery.

She said so far they have only managed to raise about US$1,000, a far cry from the money Maureen Mohabir needs to save her life. Her relatives had told Stabroek News that the Ministry of Health had been approached and while promises were made for assistance to be given this has not yet been verified and they would still have to raise funds on their own.

Sharpe said that most of the companies approached, except for one, have indicated that they cannot give any financial assistance but should there be a fundraising activity they would assist with some free products. She said one religious body that was approached told them that their medical board had informed them that the surgery can be done in Guyana. She said she has since written the body and asked for assistance in identifying the medical practitioner who can do the surgery but no response has been forthcoming.

She pointed out that Mohabir has been suffering from the disease for sometime and she went from doctor to doctor but all were unable to identify her ailment. It was last year that a local doctor made some preliminary findings and the woman went to Trinidad to have it verified and a doctor there confirmed that she was suffering from Cushing's syndrome.

"If the surgery could be done here we would be happy because all she wants is help to live. But it is surprising that even the Ministry of Health did not indicate that the surgery could be done in Guyana," Sharpe pointed out.

She said one of the woman's brothers who has been at the forefront of the fight to get the money for the woman has now run into some problems with his place of employment, putting the family into an even more difficult situation.

Sharpe is appealing to Guyanese here and overseas to hear the woman's cry and answer it so that she could receive the help she needs.

Mohabir has severe swelling, a symptom of the disease, and she is in constant pain. Persons wishing to help Mohabir can do so by placing donations in the Republic Bank account, a/c#516-773-9 which is in the name of the Regional Women's Affairs Committee. Persons can also contact Sharpe on telephone numbers 444-6058 or 444-3048 or the woman's family on telephone numbers, 444-4214 and 444-2089

Cushing's syndrome is a hormonal disorder caused by prolonged exposure of the body's tissues to high levels of the hormone cortisol. Sometimes called "hypercortisolism," it is relatively rare and most commonly affects adults ages 20 to 50. An estimated 10 to 15 persons in every million are affected each year.

Symptoms vary, but most people have upper body obesity, rounded face, increased fat around the neck, and thinning arms and legs. Children tend to be obese with slowed growth rates.

Other symptoms appear in the skin, which becomes fragile and thin. It bruises easily and heals poorly. Purplish pink stretch marks may appear on the abdomen, thighs, buttocks, arms and breasts. The bones are weakened and routine activities such as bending, lifting or rising from a chair may lead to backaches, rib and spinal column fractures.

Adrenal:

• From http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/25/weekinreview/25swarns.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

The Nation Revealing All Before Anyone Else Can
New York Times - New York, NY, USA
President Kennedy denied reports that he had Addison’s disease, or adrenal insufficiency, and required hormone injections. President Lyndon B. Johnson chose ...
See all stories on this topic

• From http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA031307.dhea.KENS.d234aad.html

Is DHEA an over-the-counter Fountain of Youth?

Some people believe they have found the Fountain of Youth in a product called DHEA, although a recent study disagrees.

"If you give DHEA, and bring it to the same level as the young people, is it going to have beneficial effects?" said Dr. Sreekumaran Nair, who tried to answer that question in study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study involved giving elderly men and women either a placebo or DHEA for two years to see if it improved muscle mass, strength, bone density, glucose tolerance and quality of life. The answer was no.

"I would say it didn't help at all," Nair said.

To slow the effects of time, Nair said, regular aerobic exercise, like walking 30 to 45 minutes, five days a week, strength training and a healthy, low-calorie diet, do work.

There are no known benefits or side effects to DHEA. It has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, and it is not recommended for men with enlarged prostates or people with heart disease.

Pituitary:

• Ronda’s tummy swollen by enzyme imbalance
Trinidad News - Port of Spain,Trinidad and Tobago
Saliman Hosein was almost in tears yesterday when she told Newsday about her 19-year-old daughter’s medical condition — Pituitary Adenoma. ...

• Stallone and Holyfield: Two Over-the-Hill Boxers Linked To HGH
Blogcritics.org - Aurora,OH,USA
I know for a fact that low-level, local professional bodybuilders in New Jersey were using black market “growth” - mined from the pituitary glands of the ...