Highlights
- Measuring cortisol levels in hair samples can help diagnose Cushing’s syndrome.
- Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands and helps to maintain blood pressure and heart function and to regulate blood sugar levels and the immune system.
- The high level of cortisol in Cushing Syndrome may result from a tumor of the pituitary or adrenal glands or as a side effect from certain medications.
- The standard diagnosis procedure is laborious and so this simple test may be a useful tool to detect Cushing’s syndrome.
"Our results are encouraging," said the study's senior author, Mihail Zilbermint, M.D., an endocrinologist at NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
"We are hopeful that hair analysis may ultimately prove useful as a less-invasive? screening test for Cushing Syndrome or in helping to confirm the diagnosis."
The high level of cortisol in Cushing Syndrome may result from a tumor of the pituitary or adrenal glands or as a side effect from certain medications. Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands and helps to maintain blood pressure and heart function and to regulate blood sugar levels and the immune system.
Symptoms of excess cortisol include obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol levels, fatigue and depression. Although the condition can be cured, it can be fatal if it is not diagnosed and treated early.
The study participants provided hair samples divided into three equal segments. Researchers observed that the hair segments closest (proximal) to the scalp had the most cortisol.
Reference
- Hodes A, et al., Hair cortisol in the evaluation of Cushing Syndrome, Endocrine: International Journal of Basic and Clinical Endocrinology (2017).
- http://pituitary.org/knowledge-base/disorders/cushing-s-syndrome.
Source-Medindia