Understanding Cushing's syndrome and its hormonal causes of obesity

Author: Not specified. Reviewer: Not specified. Curator: Not specified. Production/Organizational Information: Not specified. Title: Understanding Cushing's syndrome and its hormonal causes of obesity. Introduction: Cushing's syndrome causes hormonal imbalance, leading to weight gain and health issues; the article details symptoms, causes, and treatments. Keywords: ['Endocrine', 'Obesity'] Main text: In this era that glorifies thinness, gaining weight is often blamed on a lack of self-control in eating and exercise. However, there is a type of obesity that has nothing to do with self-discipline—it appears suddenly and comes in unusual forms. Even with intense dieting and vigorous exercise, weight continues to rise dramatically, accompanied by a moon-shaped face, buffalo hump, stretch marks, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar. This situation plunges individuals into despair, torn between physical collapse and discomfort. This is not ordinary obesity nor typical midlife weight gain; it is an endocrine disorder caused by excess cortisol: Cushing's syndrome.

It is a typical disease where both appearance and internal health are compromised. Externally, a person may look overweight and bloated, but internally they are suffering from multiple afflictions such as high blood pressure, osteoporosis, diabetes, and recurrent infections. Due to its extremely low recognition, it has long been misunderstood, overlooked, and misdiagnosed. Many people have gained weight for years and suffered physically before they finally realize: it's not that they are simply overweight; they are actually unwell. 1. What is Cushing's syndrome? The body is flooded with hormones. To understand Cushing's syndrome, first it's essential to grasp one key hormone: cortisol. Cortisol is an important hormone secreted by the adrenal glands, responsible for stress response, increasing blood sugar, reducing inflammation, and maintaining blood pressure; it acts as the body's emergency umbrella. Under normal conditions, its levels are high during the day and low at night, secreted as needed to maintain balance and stability. Cushing's syndrome is characterized by the long-term, excessive, and uncontrolled secretion of cortisol in the body, saturating it in high concentrations of hormones. This leads to systemic metabolic disorder, tissue damage, and changes in appearance. In simple terms, the body is drowned in hormones.