Reference no: EM133873414

Question

One of the most interesting cases during clinical, was a patient with Cushing's syndrome. This patient did not fit the classic presentation of Cushing's syndrome. The patient also had uncontrolled diabetes and uncontrolled hypertension despite being on multiple medications (patient was compliant with medications) and improving diet and exercise. A dexamethasone suppression test was done and the patient was found to have hypercortisolism. My preceptor explained how uncontrolled diabetes, uncontrolled hypertension, thyroid issues, and obesity can indicate hypercortisolism without the patient having the common physical feature associated with the condition. The patient was started on a new medicine called Korlym to treat this. After starting the new medication the patient had significantly improved control of her blood pressure and glucose levels. The patient was able to discontinue multiple blood pressure medications. The patient's insulin requirements also lessened significantly. The patient no longer required short acting insulin with meals and her long acting insulin dose was decreased to less than half of her original dose. The patient also had improvements in her weight.