title: Electrocardiographic abnormalities in patients with Cushing's syndrome.
abstract: The electrocardiograms in 8 patients with Cushing's syndrome and 4 with Cushing's disease were studied. The patients were divided into group A with electrocardiographic abnormalities and group B without. The mean age was significantly higher in group B than in group A. However, blood pressure, mean heart rate and the plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone level showed no significant differences between the two groups. In group A, the plasma concentration of cortisol had a tendency to be higher than in group B (A vs. B: 281 +/- 100 ng/ml, 188 +/- 9 ng/ml, respectively). Echocardiography performed on three of four patients in group A revealed cardiac hypertrophy. While, in group B, echocardiography performed on two patients showed no hypertrophic findings. As a result, it seems that the electrocardiographic changes are correlated with the plasma level of cortisol via myocardial hypertrophy.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Oita Medical University, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsuda
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saikawa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yonemochi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shimoyama
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakata
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood; D000328:Adult; D003480:Cushing Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D006854:Hydrocortisone