Hypertension in patients with Cushing's disease: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management

Abstract

Hypertension is a very common comorbidity in patients with Cushing's disease/syndrome, resulting from the interplay of several pathophysiologic mechanisms, including stimulation of mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors as well as the associated insulin resistance, sleep apnea, and overexpression of renin-angiotensin system. Although treatment of Cushing's disease results in resolution or amelioration of hypertension in these patients, a significant proportion of patients do not achieve complete cure or require a prolonged period of time for complete response to therapy. Therefore, therapeutic strategies for Cushing's-specific hypertension are necessary to decrease morbidity and mortality associated with this disease. In this review, we discuss the pathophysiology of hypertension in patients with Cushing's disease, highlighting the therapeutic options, including the exciting new developments in the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-g agonists in the management of this patient population.