On the mechanism of alcohol-induced pseudo-Cushing's syndrome.

Abstract

I. Introduction Cushing's syndrome is clinically characterized by truncal obesity, moon face, supraclavicular fat pads, buffalo hump, hirsutism, blue-red striae, easy bruisability, osteoporosis, hypertension, and proximal myopathy. Biochemically, impaired glucose tolerance and hypokalemic alkalosis can be present. Leukocytosis with lymphocytopenia and decreased numbers of eosinophils are often found. Hormonal testing shows an increased secretion of cortisol, which is not suppressed by the overnight dexamethasone test (1 mg). Depending on the etiology of the syndrome, decreased or increased secretion of ACTH is found. In patients with chronic alcohol abuse, clinical or biochemical features or both of Cushing's syndrome can be found. Because both the physical and the hormonal abnormalities disappear after discontinuation of alcohol this phenomenon was called alcohol-induced pseudo-Cushing's syndrome (1, 2). Alcohol-induced pseudo-Cushing's syndrome is indistinguishable from true Cushing's syndrome, although...