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Medscape
4 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
Cushing Syndrome Leaves Lasting Health Effects
TOPLINE: Compared with a matched population-based control group, patients with Cushing syndrome continued to exhibit elevated systolic and diastolic blood pressures along with reduced kidney function at least 14 years after biochemical remission. METHODOLOGY: Researchers in Germany conducted a retrospective cohort study to assess the long-term trajectory of blood pressure and kidney function in patients who achieved remission of Cushing syndrome. They included 81 patients with Cushing syndrome (median age at baseline, 44 years; 75.3% women) and compared them with 243 matched control individuals from a population-based cohort. Data were collected before treatment at baseline and at median follow-up intervals of 7.1 and 14 years after biochemical remission, with assessments of blood pressure, glomerular filtration rate, the prevalence of chronic kidney disease, and the use of antihypertensives. TAKEAWAY: Patients with Cushing syndrome had a significant reduction in blood pressure and required fewer antihypertensives at both 7 and 14 years vs baseline. However, when compared with the control group, patients with Cushing syndrome had significantly elevated systolic and diastolic pressures at baseline and 7 and 14 years post-remission (P ≤ .0002 for all). Although the proportion of patients on antihypertensive medications decreased in the Cushing syndrome group after remission was achieved, the prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension remained higher than in the control group at all follow-up points. In fact, reducing the use of these medications was associated with an increased risk for uncontrolled hypertension. Kidney function assessed via glomerular filtration rate remained consistently lower among patients with Cushing syndrome than among control individuals at baseline and 7 and 14 years post-remission (P = .005, P < .0001, and P = .0359, respectively). IN PRACTICE: "Our findings provide further evidence that cardiovascular effects of hypercortisolism are not entirely reversible with the normalization of cortisol levels and enhance our understanding of the deteriorative long-term cardiovascular consequences of chronic hypercortisolism," the authors wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by Katrin Ritzel, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich), LMU University Hospital in Munich, Germany. It was published online on July 29, 2025, in Journal of Endocrinological Investigation. LIMITATIONS: The retrospective design and single-centre nature of this study could have been considered limitations. DISCLOSURES: This study was supported by Else Kröner-Fresenius Stiftung. Some authors reported being supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the Munich Clinician Scientist Program, the Clinician Scientist Programme on Rare Important Syndromes in Endocrinology, and other sources. All authors reported having no conflicts of interest. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The Pandemic May Have Made Your Brain Age Faster — Whether or Not You Got COVID
A new study found that the COVID-19 pandemic, not the disease itself, may be linked to faster brain aging. The study, published by Nature Communications on Tuesday, July 22, found that the time when the COVID-19 pandemic dominated daily life was linked to what appeared to be accelerated brain aging. However, the study emphasized, brain aging isn't necessarily linked to decreased cognitive ability, whereas actually contracting the disease does bear that link. The study examined nearly 1,000 people's brains and divided them into two groups. The "control group" underwent two MRI scans, both conducted before the pandemic gained traction in early 2020. A second group, named the "pandemic group," did one MRI scan prior to the pandemic and one after the pandemic's initial onset. Findings from both groups were then compared against an existing set of data featuring over 15,000 healthy participants' imaging. This comparison served to show the gap between predicted brain age (based on the brain's physical state) and chronological age (based on the participant's real age). Researchers found that even in subjects' brains that bore virtually no difference between predicted and chronological brain age, after the pandemic, the gap increased — regardless of COVID-19 infection. The average gap increase was 5.5 months, which was deemed statistically significant. Participants averaged an age of 63 and did not have any significant chronic conditions, "to maintain consistency in health status across all subjects," the study read. The study found that those most significantly affected by the pandemic in terms of brain age were men and elderly people, especially those who are at a socioeconomic disadvantage. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. However, a large brain age gap isn't necessarily linked to cognitive decline, the study found — marks of impacted cognitive ability were found only in participants who were infected. "Our study highlights the pandemic's significant impact on brain health, beyond direct infection effects, emphasising the need to consider broader social and health inequalities," the study stated. Read the original article on People
