Hypercortisolism or cushing’s syndrome is a disturbance in hormonal balance that can have different causes. It is a group of symptoms triggered by extremely high levels of a hormone named cortisol in the body. The disease happens when the body is producing too much cortisol or is exposed to high levels of cortisol for a long time. Hypercortisolism can also be caused by the use of oral corticosteroid medication. Patients with cushing's syndrome have a very typical appearance.
Chronically elevated glucocorticoids (from various causes) lead to Cushing's syndrome. A distinction is made in terms of the cause, which can be the administration of glucocorticoids (called iatrogenic Cushing’s syndrome) for the treatment of another disease, elevated glucocorticoids due to benign or malignant tumors of the adrenal glands (peripheral Cushing's syndrome), or an adenoma (benign tumor) of the pituitary gland (central Cushing's syndrome).
Patients with cushing's syndrome show a typical appearance with trunk accented obesity (waist and abdomen are thick, legs and arms rather thin), moon face, buffalo hump, facial redness and acne. The skin is so thin that superficial small blood vessels are visible and stretch marks (striae rubra) can happen. The patients often complain of weakness (climbing stairs for example), apathy, and bone pain. In women, it also often leads to menstrual irregularities and virilization of the hair. All the symptoms depend on the amount and duration of the excess of glucocorticoids.
In case of a central cushing’s syndrome, the treatment of choice is removal of the pituitary adenoma through the nose. For small adenomas, the cure rate is 90%, for gig adenomas 50 %. As a peripheral cushing's syndrome is almost always caused by tumors of the adrenal glands, the surgical removal of the affected adrenal gland is displayed with very good cure rates. After surgery, glucocorticoids may have to be taken as a tablet, usually for a limited period, until the remaining adrenal gland has assumed the function of the removed gland. The treatment of iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome is a cessation of glucocorticoid therapy (or at least a reduction in the dose, a termination is often not possible). It is essential to ensure that the drug is tapered slowly and must not be discontinued abruptly.
Several years of work in academia, medical practice and finally commercialization make it possible to provide an end-to-end process to help users to “find the appropriate medical help based on their present symptoms”. Below you will find a short explanation, showing you which part of the platform will help you best in finding the appropriate medical support.
Proceed as follows to enter your current symptoms.
Click on the appropriate body part on the picture. Select one/multiple symptoms corresponding to your complaint.
You can also add symptoms by typing your medical complaint in the search box and selecting the best matching suggestion.
Note: Your information will be kept anonymously.
Once you have selected all applicable symptoms, click the “analyze disease pattern”-button.
Accordingly, you will get a list of possible diseases and matching doctor categories who can further help you.
You can inform yourself about the possible diseases by reading the related information. But you can also return to the previous step and add more symptoms or delete already added ones to further narrow down your disease pattern.
Click on the desired doctor category to find a doctor who can help you.
If you are logged in with your profile, you will be displayed the appropriate doctors in your area. Otherwise you can enter an address in the “address” field and you will be displayed a doctor’s list around that specified address.
You will receive further information about the displayed doctors when you press on “details”.
Online bookable doctors in your area will be indicated with the notation “Book appointment” or “Book externally”, additionally they will be displayed on top of the list for your convenience.
Click on “Book appointment” to start the online appointment booking process with the desired doctor.
Please select an available appointment. “Green“ appointments are booked directly. “Red“ appointments need to be confirmed by the doctor.
Enter your general personal and health information.
Enter your present medical symptoms.
Enter your mobile phone number to identify yourself and you can finalize the appointment booking.
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