What symptoms are shared between Dysautonomia and Cushing's syndrome?

From the Guidelines

Dysautonomia and Cushing's syndrome share several overlapping symptoms, including fatigue, weakness, exercise intolerance, cardiovascular symptoms like tachycardia and orthostatic hypotension, gastrointestinal disturbances, sleep disturbances, anxiety, depression, and cognitive difficulties. These symptoms occur due to the impact of both conditions on regulatory systems in the body, with dysautonomia affecting the autonomic nervous system and Cushing's syndrome resulting from cortisol excess, as noted in studies on the conditions 1. Key symptoms shared by the two conditions include:

• Fatigue and weakness
• Exercise intolerance
• Cardiovascular symptoms such as tachycardia and orthostatic hypotension
• Gastrointestinal disturbances like nausea, abdominal pain, and altered bowel habits
• Sleep disturbances
• Anxiety and depression
• Cognitive difficulties, often referred to as "brain fog"
• Temperature regulation problems
• Excessive sweating and heat intolerance It's crucial to differentiate between the two conditions, as Cushing's syndrome has distinctive features like central obesity, buffalo hump, facial rounding, and purple striae that are not typically seen in dysautonomia, and the treatment approaches can vary significantly, with Cushing's syndrome often requiring surgical intervention or mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists like spironolactone or eplerenone 1.

From the Research

Symptoms of Dysautonomia and Cushing's Syndrome

• Dysautonomia is characterized by disordered regulation of cardiovascular responses to stress, which can manifest as hemodynamic instability 2
• Cushing's syndrome is associated with a range of symptoms, including:
  • Hyperglycemia
  • Protein catabolism
  • Immunosuppression
  • Hypertension
  • Weight gain
  • Neurocognitive changes
  • Mood disorders, such as major depression, mania, and anxiety disorders 3, 4
• Shared symptoms between Dysautonomia and Cushing's syndrome may include:
  • Cardiovascular dysfunction, such as hypertension and hemodynamic instability 3, 2
  • Mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression 4, 2
  • Fatigue, which is a common symptom of both conditions 2, 3

Overlapping Symptoms

• Both Dysautonomia and Cushing's syndrome can cause significant morbidity and mortality if left untreated 5, 2
• The presence of depression and anxiety in Cushing's syndrome can be prognostically useful and may require treatment with psychotherapeutic strategies and psychotropic drugs 4
• Dysautonomia in chronic fatigue syndrome can be identified by abnormal cardiovascular reactivity, which can be assessed using the 'hemodynamic instability score' (HIS) and the 'Fractal and Recurrence Analysis-based Score' (FRAS) 2