Cushing's Disease Causes & Risks

Causes

Prolonged or excess exposure to cortisol as a result of:

Long-term use of corticosteroid hormones such as cortisone or prednisone
Tumor or abnormality of the adrenal gland, which causes the body to produce excess cortisol
Tumor or abnormality of the pituitary gland, which causes the body to produce excess cortisol (in the case of a pituitary tumor it is called Cushing's disease)
Rarely, tumors of the lungs, thyroid, kidney, pancreas, or thymus gland produce hormones that trigger the syndrome

Pituitary and Adrenal Glands

Risk Factors

Factors that increase your risk of Cushing's syndrome include:

Chronic use of corticosteroid medicines
Age: 20-50 years
Sex: female (much more common in women)

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