Cushing Syndrome : Tests

Blood sugar and white blood cell counts may be high. Potassium level may be low. Laboratory tests are done to confirm high cortisol level. These include: Blood test to check cortisol level; Dexamethasone suppression test; Urine tests to check cort...

Cushing's syndrome is a relatively rare endocrine (hormonal) disorder resulting from excessive exposure to the hormone cortisol. The disorder, which leads to a variety of symptoms and physical abnormalities, is most commonly caused by taking medic...

Diagnosing Cushing's syndrome can be complex. Diagnosis must not only identify the cortisol excess, but also locate its source. Many of the symptoms listed above can be attributed to numerous other diseases. Although a number of these symptoms see...

The diagnosis of Cushing syndrome is based on the patient's family history and the results from several laboratory tests. The most definitive diagnostic laboratory test is to monitor cortisol production in the person's urine during a 24-hour colle...

A cortisol level is a blood test that measures the amount of cortisol, a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex.

This test is a measure of serum cortisol (also known as hydrocortisone), or urine cortisol (also known as urinary free cortisol), an important hormone produced by a pair of endocrine glands called the adrenal glands. Purpose This test is performed on patients who may have malfunctioning adrenal glands.

A blood glucose test measures the amount of sugar (glucose) in a sample of your blood. See also: Glucose test - urine; Glucose test - CSF; Home blood glucose monitoring.

Glucose tests are used to determine the concentration of glucose in blood , urine, cerebrospinal fluid, and other body fluids. These tests are used to detect an increased blood glucose (hyperglycemia), a decreased blood glucose (hypoglycemia), increased glucose in the urine (glycosuria), and a decrease in cerebrospinal, serous, and synovial fluid glucose.

An MRI of the head is a non-invasive procedure that uses powerful magnets and radio waves to construct clear, detailed pictures of brain tissues. Unlike conventional radiography and computed tomography (CT), which make use of potentially harmful x-rays passing through a patient to generate images, MRI imaging is based on the magnetic properties of atoms. A powerful magnet generates a magnetic field roughly 10,000 times stronger than the Earth's. A very small percentage of hydrogen atoms within the body will align with this field. The "nuclear" in the original name (nuclear magnetic resonance imaging) -- now seldom used -- refers to the proton in the nucleus of the hydrogen atom and does not imply radioactivity. When focused short radio wave pulses are broadcast towards the aligned hydrogen atoms in tissues of interest, they will return a signal of their own. The subtle differences in that signal from dissimilar tissues enables the MRI to differentiate between various organs, and potentially, provide contrast between benign and malignant (cancerous) tissue. Any imaging plane, or slice, can be projected, and then stored in a computer or printed on film. MRI is easily performed through clothing and bones. However, certain types of metal in or around the area of interest can cause significant errors in the reconstructed images. These errors are called artifacts.

This is a blood test to measure the number of white blood cells (WBCs). It is almost always part of the CBC (complete blood count). See also blood differential .

A white blood cell (WBC) count determines the concentration of white blood cells in the patient ' s blood. A differential determines the percentage of each of the five types of mature white blood cells.

A white blood cell (WBC) count determines the concentration of white blood cells in the patient ' s blood. A differential determines the percentage of each of the five types of mature white blood cells.