Table 1. Clinical and biochemical characteristics of patients with Cushing’s syndrome (CS) and controls.
| CS (n = 77) | Controls (n = 77) | p | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical characteristics | |||
| Age (years) | 48.6± 12.8 | 48.4± 12.6 | NS |
| Smokers (%) | 25% | 19% | NS |
| Moderate alcohol consumption (%) | 26% | 27% | NS |
| Diabetes mellitus (%) | 14% | 1% | <0.05 |
| Hypertension (%) | 57% | 13% | <0.001 |
| Dyslipidemia (%) | 46% | 20% | <0.05 |
| Osteoporosis (%) | 30% | 3% | <0.001 |
| Psychiatric history (%) | 38% | 11% | <0.001 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 28 ± 5.6 | 26.4 ± 4.9 | <0.05 |
| Waist to hip ratio | 0.92±0.07 | 0.85±0.07 | <0.05 |
| Metabolic syndrome n (%)* | 40% | 15% | <0.001 |
| Lipid and metabolic profile ** | |||
| Triglycerides (mmol/liter) | 1.2±0.6 | 1.09±0.7 | 0.089 |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/liter) | 5.4 ± 1.05 | 5.3±1.1 | NS |
| HDL cholesterol (mmol/liter) | 1.5±0.4 | 1.5±0.3 | NS |
| LDL cholesterol (mmol/liter) | 3.5±0.8 | 3.4±1.1 | NS |
| Lpa (mg/liter) | 410.7±451.1 | 264±310.8 | 0.06 |
| Adipocytokines and inflammatory markers | |||
| CS (n = 32) | Controls (n = 32) | ||
| Adiponectin (ng/ml) | 14.6 ± 6.8 | 18.6 ± 10 | 0.053 |
| IL6 (pg/ml) | 1.18±2.1 | 0.37±0.33 | <0.001 |
| sTNF-R1 (ng/ml) | 1.87±0.69 | 1.31±0.32 | <0.001 |
| sTNF-R2 (ng/ml) | 3.71±2.08 | 3.09±0.91 | NS |
| C-reactive protein (mcg/ml) | 0.37±0.26 | 0.36±0.38 | NS |
Abbreviations: Lpa: lipoprotein a; sTNF-R1, sTNF-R2: soluble tumor necrosis factor-α receptors; IL6: interleukin-6.
*As described in references 16 and 17.
**49% of dyslipidemic CS patients and 26% of dyslipidemic controls were on lipid lowering medications.