Which finding is a hallmark of Cushing syndrome?

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Multiple Choice

Which finding is a hallmark of Cushing syndrome?

Excess cortisol in Cushing syndrome causes a distinctive set of changes from how fat is distributed to how the skin and vessels behave. The most telling cluster includes fat buildup around the trunk (centripetal obesity) with a round, moon-like face (moon facies) and thin, weak skin that develops purple, stretchable stripes (purple striae). Hypertension often accompanies these features because high cortisol can act like a mineralocorticoid, promoting sodium and water retention and increasing vascular tone. This combination—central obesity, rounded face, purple striae, and high blood pressure—forms the classic picture of hypercortisolism. Other findings listed, like low blood pressure, weight loss, or exophthalmos, do not fit Cushing syndrome and point toward other conditions (for example, exophthalmos is more typical of Graves disease).

Excess cortisol in Cushing syndrome causes a distinctive set of changes from how fat is distributed to how the skin and vessels behave. The most telling cluster includes fat buildup around the trunk (centripetal obesity) with a round, moon-like face (moon facies) and thin, weak skin that develops purple, stretchable stripes (purple striae). Hypertension often accompanies these features because high cortisol can act like a mineralocorticoid, promoting sodium and water retention and increasing vascular tone. This combination—central obesity, rounded face, purple striae, and high blood pressure—forms the classic picture of hypercortisolism. Other findings listed, like low blood pressure, weight loss, or exophthalmos, do not fit Cushing syndrome and point toward other conditions (for example, exophthalmos is more typical of Graves disease).

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