Incidence of Autoimmune and Related Disorders After Resolution of Endogenous Cushing Syndrome in Children

Christina Tatsi; Meg Keil; Charalampos Lyssikatos; Elena Belyavskaya; Constantine A. Stratakis; Maya B. Lodish

doi:10.1055/s-0044-101144

Hormone and Metabolic Research, Table of Contents

Horm Metab Res 2018; 50(04): 290-295
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-101144

Endocrine Care

Incidence of Autoimmune and Related Disorders After Resolution of Endogenous Cushing Syndrome in Children

Christina Tatsi

¹Section on Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

,

Meg Keil

¹Section on Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

,

Charalampos Lyssikatos

¹Section on Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

,

Elena Belyavskaya

¹Section on Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

,

Constantine A. Stratakis

¹Section on Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

,

Maya B. Lodish

¹Section on Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Glucocorticoids are widely used for immunosuppression in autoimmune diseases. After the resolution of hypercortisolemia, the immune system recovers allowing for autoimmune diseases to manifest. Here we investigated the presence of autoimmune and related diseases that developed after cure of endogenous Cushing syndrome (CS) in children. We identified 129 children who were diagnosed and successfully treated for endogenous CS at the National Institutes of Health from 1997 until 2017, and who were followed for at least 6 months after treatment. We performed a retrospective chart review analysis to identify the presence of autoimmune or related diseases after cure. Ten children were diagnosed with a new autoimmune or related disorder after resolution of hypercortisolemia. This results in a frequency of 7.8% of our pediatric CS population. The identified patients had a shorter duration of hypercortisolemia prior to diagnosis, but did not otherwise differ from the remaining patients. The various identified diseases were: celiac disease (n=1), psoriasis (n=1), Hashimoto thyroiditis (n=1), Graves disease (n=1), optic neuritis (n=2), skin hypopigmented lesions/vitiligo (n=2), allergic rhinitis/asthma (n=1), and neuropathy responding to glucocorticoid treatment (n=1). The reported time between the treatment of CS and diagnosis of autoimmune disorder ranged from 6 to 19 months. The presence of autoimmune or related diseases might be masked by the hypercortisolemic state in endogenous CS. After resolution of hypercortisolemia, the presentation of new autoimmune diseases or recurrence of previously known autoimmune conditions should be considered when concerning symptoms arise.

Key words

hypercortisolemia - immune system - thyroiditis - children

Full Text

References

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