fatal cause of cushing's syndrome

ABSTRACT

Polycystic ovarian syndrome [PCOS] and idiopathic hirsutism are the most common causes of excessive hair growth and might well account for up to 98% of all cases. The objective of evaluating hirsute women is to rule out serious conditions that can cause hirsutism such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia, Gushing's syndrome and ovarian or adrenal malignancies. We herein present a 21-year-old single woman who presented with rapid onset of hirsutism, virilization and Cushingoid features. Laboratory investigations confirmednon-suppressible high cortisol level with low ACTH. Imaging studies revealed a large adrenal mass invading the neighboring structures. Surgical pathology report confirmed an advanced adrenocortical carcinoma