A case of incidentally discovered subclinical cushing syndrome in a patient with chronic fatigue and anxiety

Korean J Fam Med. 2013 Jul;34(4):289-92. doi: 10.4082/kjfm.2013.34.4.289. Epub 2013 Jul 24.

Abstract

Subclinical Cushing syndrome (SCS) is a hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis abnormality characterized by autonomous cortisol secretion in patients with no typical signs or symptoms of Cushing syndrome. SCS patients may have adverse metabolic and cardiovascular effects due to slight, but continuous glucocorticoid secretion. Glucocorticoids also affect behavior, mood, neural activity, and a number of specific biochemical processes in the central nervous system. Here, we report a case of SCS due to an adrenal incidentaloma in a hypertensive diabetic patient who presented with chronic fatigue and anxiety that disappeared after the removal of the adrenal adenoma.

Keywords: Adrenal Incidentaloma; Anxiety; Chronic Fatigue; Subclinical Cushing Syndrome.