Cushing's syndrome

A syndrome caused by an excess of corticosteroids, especially cortisol, in the blood, characterized by obesity, muscle and skin atrophy, facial fullness (known as moon facies), hypertension, and other physical changes. Glucocorticoid excess is usually caused by a tumor of the adrenal cortex, excessive intake of ACTH or glucocorticoids, or increased production of ACTH from a tumor of the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland. Cushing's syndrome is named after its discoverer, American neurosurgeon Harvey Williams Cushing (1869-1939).