How is Cushing’s syndrome diagnosed?

Evaluating signs and symptoms

Cushing’s syndrome causes a wide variety of signs and symptoms. But they are not the same for everyone, and most of them can also be caused by other health conditions. So, how does a doctor know when to test for Cushing’s syndrome?

Experts recommend testing for Cushing’s syndrome if the following signs and/or symptoms are present.

When to test for Cushing’s syndrome^1,2

All ages
Test if:

Children/young adults
Test if:

Several characteristics and/or symptoms of Cushing's syndrome develop and get worse, such as:

–	Red or round (moon-shaped) face
–	Purplish streaks on the body
–	Easy bruising
–	Buildup of fatty tissue in the abdominal area
–	Diabetes
–	Excessive and unusual hair growth in women (called hirsutism)

An adrenal tumor is found by chance during an ultrasound or similar procedure

Conditions develop that are unusual at their age, such as high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and type 2 diabetes
A child keeps gaining weight without a normal height increase

Before the doctor performs the tests, however, he or she needs to find out if the patient is taking glucocorticoid medicine. If the answer is yes, and the doctor thinks this could be causing the signs and symptoms, then testing is not necessary.³ Click here for more information about glucocorticoid medicines and Cushing’s syndrome.

Testing to diagnose Cushing’s syndrome

There are several types of tests to determine if a patient has Cushing’s syndrome. If a patient tests positive for Cushing’s syndrome, the doctor will then use additional tests to find out the cause.⁴

Next, read about the types of tests doctors use to diagnose Cushing’s syndrome and its cause.

Click here to read about the causes of Cushing's syndrome.

References: 1. Newell-Price J, Bertagna X, Grossman AB, Nieman LK. Cushing’s syndrome. Lancet. 2006;367:1605-1617. 2. The Hormone Foundation’s patient guide to the diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome. The Hormone Foundation. http://www.hormone.org/resources/patient_guides/upload/mgmt-cushings-
syndrome-070609.pdf. Accessed August 4, 2009. 3. Nieman LK, Biller BMK, Findling JW, et al. The diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008;93:1526-1540. 4. Arnaldi G, Angeli A, Atkinson AB, et al. Diagnosis and complications of Cushing’s syndrome: a consensus statement. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003;88:5593-5602.