Symptoms of high cortisol include weight gain, skin or hair changes, irregular periods such as reproductive changes and muscle weakness and fatigue.
Cortisol, a hormone produced in the adrenal glands, controls many functions of the body. It controls blood sugar and metabolism, supports immune function, controls blood pressure and inflammation, and manages stress reaction.
When cortisol levels remain high for a long time, it can give birth to Kushing syndrome. This rare condition affects about 10–15 people per million each year.
Continuous high cortisol may lead to other complications. It is important to identify signs and symptoms so that you can get treatment. Many cases of Kushing syndrome can be corrected.
What are the signs and symptoms?
Not all of the high cortisol or cushing syndrome will have similar symptoms. If you have high cortisol levels for a long time, you may have more likely to have noticeable symptoms.
Some of the most common signs and symptoms of high cortisol include:
weight gain
One of the cortisol jobs is to regulate your metabolism. The level of high cortisol may disrupt your metabolic rate, or the balance between energy you have spent by you and the energy you spend, leading to weight gain. People with high cortisol can have a slow metabolism and can increase weight even when changing your food habits. High cortisol can also increase appetite. You can see fat build-ups in your chest, abdomen, face or upper back.
Skin and hair change
People with cushing syndrome often hurt more easily and can develop purple stretch marks on their stomach, hips or weapons. Cortisol is a glucocorticoid (steroid hormone) that can dilute and weaken the skin. Increase in cortisol and androgen in cushing syndrome can lead to hirsutism (increase in hair growth), often on the face and neck. High cortisol can also disrupt normal hair growth, causing hair loss or bucking.
Mental health change
Anxiety, depression and mood are common symptoms of high cortisol, but experts are not sure how it causes symptoms of psychiatry. The possibility of cortisol affects the changes in the brain that causes anxiety, depression and even insomnia. Living with a serious disease like Kushing syndrome can also negatively affect mood due to stress and uncertainty. At least half of the Kushing syndrome has a major depressive disorder.
Fatigue and weakness
You can usually feel tired and weak than normal and target muscle weakness. The high cortisol level can cause muscle atrophy over time, which weakens the shoulders, hips and thighs and makes agitation difficult. There is also mental fatigue with Kushing syndrome, which can also remain in discount. Many people with Kushing syndrome have depression, of which fatigue is common, and hard work in both physically and mentally in daily life.
