Title: Cushing’s Syndrome and Adrenal Insufficiency in a Patient Taking Long-Term Alternative Medication for Knee Pain
Authors: Sowmya Sridharan, Krishnadas T, Hariharan Eswaran, Madhavi Akkireddy
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v6i2.57
Abstract
Cushing’s syndrome and adrenal insufficiency are the polar ends of the spectrum of adrenal disorders. While the former is a result of excess cortisol, the latter is due to its deficiency. The presence of cushingoid features in a person presenting with adrenal insufficiency must prompt the treating physician to suspect exogenous chronic steroid use and chronic hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis suppression with a sudden withdrawal leading to secondary adrenal insufficiency. Native or alternative medicine is widely popular in most of the developing countries as they are considered harmless. Some of these medications used to treat chronic disorders may have steroid components that can lead to Cushing’s syndrome. In this case report, we present a patient who was taking native medications for a long time with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis suppression.
Keywords: Cushing’s syndrome, Adrenal Insufficiency, Alternative medicine.
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