Yowzaaa! You don’t want to miss the article by Jeannette Y. Wicks, RPh, MBA, FASCP about Cushing’s disease (CD).

Cushing’s is a rare disease that’s caused by high levels of cortisol, a hormone that is also connected to the pituitary gland. Wicks says that it’s very challenging to diagnose. According some clinical data, many patients suffer for years before they receive a proper diagnosis. This is a serious illness and if left untreated, it can lead to high blood pressure, pre-diabetes, and heart disease. That’s why it’s imperative for doctors to diagnose patients quickly and properly.

Scientists and Researchers Working Together for Cushing’s Disease

Apparently, Novartis Pharmaceuticals worked with the National Institutes of Health as well as a private insurance company, examining patient records, i.e., symptoms and illnesses reported as “claims.” Working together, scientists and researchers were able to recognize up to 47 comorbidities, symptoms, etc. that are also found in CD. And if I understand this stuff correctly, they in fact found that certain comorbidities such as an unusual pair of these such as obesity and osteoporosis were more than 50 times likely to have or develop Cushing’s disease!

So is this going to set the world on fire? Probably not, but will this data help to provide better tools as indicators to help doctors diagnose CD earlier? Yes?! I think it’s absolutely amazing that they’re uncovering this kind of evidence. Keep up the good work!

---

Do you have a better take on the study? Maybe more importantly, if you have Cushing’s what do you think about this evidence!