Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: Patients with Cushing’s disease (CD) may have adrenal nodules or hyperplasia related chronic hyperstimulation by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of adrenal nodules or hyperplasia in patients with CD and their relation with ACTH levels at diagnosis.

Patients and methods: Descriptive study of patients with CD (1995–2015). Variables analyzed: age, sex, body mass index (BMI), ACTH, urinary-free cortisol (UFC), abdominal magnetic resonance (MRI) or computed tomography (CT). Statistical analysis: comparing proportions with the chi-squared and comparing means with Student’s test.

Results: Forty-nine patients with CD. 44.43±15.29 years old. Women: 89.8%. 33 patients with abdominal MRI or CT: 30.30% adrenal nodules and 18.18% bilateral adrenal hyperplasia. Patients with adrenal lesions vs no adrenal lesions: age 44.56±10.43 vs 43.81±18.9 years old (P=0.84), ACTH 80.42±60.80 vs 76.61±60.32 pg/ml (P=0.87), UFC 636.89±675.26 vs 768.64±786.56 mcg/24h (P=0.61), IMC 31.90±10.24 vs 33.22±7.19 kg/m² (P=0.66), woman 81.3 vs 93.8% (P=0.94), remission of CD 66.7 vs 85.7% (P=0.94).

Conclusions: Adrenal lesions are detected in half of the patients with CD which is performed abdominal MRI or TC, adrenal nodules are more frequent. The presence of adrenal lesions is not related with ACTH levels at diagnosis, neither with UFC, BMI, age, sex or remission of CD.