Multisystem Morbidity and Mortality in Cushings Syndrome: a Cohort Study

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 03/28/2013  Clinical Article

Dekkers O.M. et al.– To examine the risks for mortality, cardiovascular disease, fractures, peptic ulcers, and infections in CS patients before and after treatment.Cushing’s syndrome (CS) is associated with hypercoagulability, insulin resistance, hypertension, bone loss, and immunosuppression. To date, no adequately large cohort study has been performed to assess the multisystem effects of CS. It was concluded that despite the apparently benign character of the disease, CS is associated with clearly increased mortality and multisystem morbidity, even before diagnosis and treatment.

Methods

• The study used Cox–regression, and computed hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).
• Morbidity was investigated in the three years before diagnosis; morbidity and mortality was assessed during complete follow–up after diagnosis and treatment.

Results

• 343 CS patients and 34,300 controls were included. Mortality was twice as high in CS patients (HR 2.3, 95%CI 1.8–2.9) compared with controls.
• Patients with CS were at increased risk for venous thromboembolism (HR 2.6, 95%CI 1.5–4.7), myocardial infarction (HR 3.7, 95%CI 2.4–5.5), stroke (HR 2.0, 95%CI 1.3–3.2), peptic ulcers (HR 2.0, 95%CI 1.1–3.6), fractures (HR 1.4, 95%CI 1.0–1.9), and infections (HR 4.9, 95%CI 3.7–6.4).
• This increased multi–morbidity risk was present before diagnosis. Mortality and risk of myocardial infarction remained elevated during long–term follow–up.
• Mortality and risks for AMI, VTE, stroke and infections were similarly increased in adrenal and pituitary CS.

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