Discrepancies in symptom reporting hinder early Cushing’s syndrome diagnosis

The main takeaway from the article is that discrepancies between patient-reported and physician-assessed symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome, particularly regarding typical features, hinder early diagnosis and treatment. This highlights the need for better communication and awareness of CS symptoms among patients and healthcare providers.

A single-center retrospective study analyzed 52 patients diagnosed with Cushing’s syndrome, comprising 16 cases of Cushing’s disease and 36 cases of adrenal Cushing’s syndrome. Researchers examined both patient-reported and physician-assessed manifestations of typical features (eg, purple striae and proximal myopathy) and nonspecific features (eg, hirsutism and hypertension).

The findings revealed a positive correlation between the total number of nonspecific features reported by patients and those assessed by physicians. However, there was a notable discrepancy in typical features, with patients reporting these less frequently than physicians. This gap indicates that patients often do not report symptoms critical for diagnosing Cushing’s syndrome, regardless of disease severity, which complicates early diagnosis and treatment.

Reference
Motomura Y, Urai S, Bando H, et al. Diagnostic dilemma in Cushing’s syndrome: discrepancy between patient-reported and physician-assessed manifestations. Endocrine. 2024;doi: 10.1007/s12020-024-03935-9. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39037671.